Turn Back
by xXsomeoneelseXx
Summary: A badly injured Barricade has been found by a human female, of all things. Why is he hurt? What does he want? And why is she helping him? BarricadeXOC. My first fic!
1. Pain

All right, so this is my first fic ever published. I hope you all like it, please read and review! I will update at least once a week, but if I get reviews I may do it more often. If there are any grammatical mistakes or blatant OOC-ness or other errors, let me know so I can freak out about them. ;P

This fic idea has been sort of floating around in my imagination as a vague 'what-if' for a while now, but it was "Saving Me" by Hot Shot's girl that made me really consider writing it down, since it's got the same basic theme. You should look it up if you're a Starscream fan, it has fluffiness in it that I really enjoyed. ;) Then, the truly wonderful fic "Who Knew," by Crooked, another good read for StarscreamxOC shippers, inspired me to actually start typing. Thank you, Crooked:D Also, the Imperfection series by Macx (again, a very good read) helped me refine my ideas for this fic. And, I can't forget "To The Rats," a truly wonderful fic, which has been a great inspiration to me as well. Thank you all!

Disclaimer: I own Transformers! …no I don't. I do, however, own my OC and the storyline.

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He was floating in a haze of pain. His optics were shuttered, yet there was bright light all around him. He didn't understand… was he dead? If he was, though, why was he in so much pain? It was all very confusing.

A fresh stab of pain in his left leg made him groan aloud.

"Oh!" said a small voice from somewhere near his leg. "I'm sorry, did that hurt?"

"Hurt? Hurt? Of course it hurt! Everything hurts!"

That was what he wanted to say, anyway. But apparently his vocal processor wasn't quite ready to form words just yet. He settled for a pained grunt instead.

"I'm sorry," the small voice said again. He decided it was definitely feminine. "I didn't realize you were awake."

"Just… barely," he managed to say. He flexed a hand experimentally, and was gratified when it worked, despite the grinding of gears and fresh wave of pain that accompanied the action. He wondered if it would be possible to shut down his pain sensors. Probably not.

He flinched as his thoughts were interrupted by the feel of something small crawling over him. He shuddered, realizing how helpless he was. What was she going to do to him? He unshuttered his optics.

His left optic, he realized, was in a very bad way. It could only register light or dark, and it must have been out of alignment, because the shutter did not cover it properly. No wonder he could only see bright light. He offlined it, and focused with his good optic.

Things slowly came into focus. He was lying flat on his back, and some kind of light fixture set into the concrete ceiling was shedding bright fluorescent light on him.

And sitting on his chassis was a human female. He stared at her. She had brown hair, green eyes, and an expression of concern on her face. What was she doing here? Where was 'here'? And why did she seem more curious than afraid? Humans were supposed to fear him, weren't they? So why was he afraid of her?

He forced himself not to whimper as she extended one hand toward his face. Primus, what was she going to do to him? Shatter his other optic? Wait, how could _she_ have possibly shattered an optic? How had that happened? He couldn't remember.

Her touch on his faceplates was soft and gentle, and he was shocked to find himself enjoying it. She stroked his cheekplate, carefully avoiding the dent in it. The effect was very calming.

He was just beginning to relax and actually enjoy the experience when he remembered what must have caused the shattered optic.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you!" the human said when he cried out. But Barricade didn't even hear her; he was lost in the memory of Starscream's fist filling his vision.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

PSYCH! You thought he was Jazz! Admit it!! ;D

There's just something about Barricade's character that really appeals to me. I really think he has the potential to become a good guy. I always wondered why Bumblebee beat him so easily in the movie, when his little bio said he was a consummate hunter who'd made his name chasing down dozens of Autobots and stuff. It just didn't make much sense. And then it struck me that maybe he just wasn't really trying… and I started wondering why that would be, and thought, "What do you get when you strip away his tough exterior? He must be a big softie underneath!" (Well, not really, but he must be a _little_ nicer than he lets on.) So this is my take on that idea. Please let me know what you think! I have this all typed out in advance, but your input is still helpful to me, and if you have a good idea I may just work it in for you. :)

Oh, and, erm… in case you were wondering, my little mental image of Barricade is a little different from how he looks in the movie… he only has two optics, and his face isn't as… complicated. Sorry if that confuses you, just try to go with it. It doesn't make that huge of a difference, just makes him a little more… loveable. ;P


	2. Say Hello

Chapter Two is here!! Because my finals are OVER::does happy dance:: Thank you to everyone who read this fic! And favorited it or put it on story alert! It means a lot to me. :D Even if there were no reviews. And that's understandable- apparently there's something wrong with the review window, I've tried to review some stories and it doesn't seem to work. So I will pretend that everybody who read it left a gushing review!! XP

Oh, and just so you know, the 'TFTFTF' lines represent a change in point of view/timeframe, since I can't get line breaks to transfer to the ffnet format. I hope I've written it well enough for you all to be able to figure out what's going on yourselves… if not, please tell me, and I'll try to make it a little more obvious for you.

Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers, I wouldn't have to put this disclaimer here, now would I?

Claimer: I own my OC and the storyline.

And now, without further ado…

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Barricade was stopped at a red light outside the city. With great effort, he resisted the urge to shift on his tires. He was on high alert; he would only have one chance. Knowing Ironhide, he might not even have _one_. At least Frenzy wasn't with him. Frenzy would have doomed his plan from step one.

He forced himself to relax. _You can do this_, he told himself. _Just stay away from Starscream._

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

The first thing he became aware of was that his side felt odd. It almost… tickled. The feeling was a little uncomfortable, but at least it didn't hurt anymore…

Wait, anymore? When had it hurt before? He searched his memory.

The memory of the human female sprang out of his memory, and he shot into consciousness. He unshuttered his optics-

And was immediately met by a blast of light. He shouted something that sounded like "Grahh!" and offlined them again.

Primus, why couldn't he have remembered _that_ part first?

A small weight scrambled up the side of his chassis. That human femme, no doubt; what had she been doing to him?

"Are you okay?" she said.

Barricade considered. He was still very sore, although the pain had begun to recede. That, at least, was a bright spot. But, he was still pretty much unable to move, which was a definite minus.

"Define okay," he growled, unshuttering his good optic to peer at the human. She smiled encouragingly at him.

"Right now," she said, "'okay' means you aren't going to start screaming and pass out again."

Barricade stared at her suspiciously. Was she making fun of him? He couldn't really tell.

"By that definition, I suppose I am 'okay,'" he said at last. At least his vocal processor was working. Thank Primus for small things. "However," he added, "I cannot make any promises."

"That's okay," she said. She grinned at him. "So. My name's Kathryn. What's yours?" She shifted a bit on his chassis, getting comfortable. He wondered why he wasn't bothered more by it, but didn't pursue the thought further.

"Barricade," he said, feeling extremely stupid. What was he doing, making friends with some human femme? Then he reminded himself to at least try to be polite- in his current state, she could probably offline him permanently if she wanted. It would be better to keep this Kathryn happy, especially if an Autobot were to somehow find him. And who knew, she might even be able to help him. Primus knew, he couldn't help himself.

"Pleased to meet you, Barricade," Kathryn said. "If you, uh, don't mind me asking… what are you?"

Barricade grunted. "Even if I did mind, it would make little difference at the moment," he pointed out. "However, I will answer your question. I am a Cybertronian, one of a highly advanced race of sentient robotic organisms."

Slightly surprised that she actually appeared to be interested, he launched into the story of the Allspark and the war over it, deliberately leaving out his own involvement. He slowed down as the narrative got closer to the present; he was unsure of how to explain his present situation, which was… complicated.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Well, there you go! A slight cliffie for ya there... I hope you all like it! ;) If you do, or if you notice anything wrong with the chapter- grammar mistakes, plot holes, etc.- please review and let me know, and I will try to fix it or explain to you. If you like it- please review and let me know... if by some miracle you can get a review to go through... anyways, if more people put this on chapter alert, I'll probably have the next chapter up in no time!


	3. Remember

::does happy dance:: Yayyy!! I got a review!! Thank you katana! It means a lot to me! In gratitude, I have decided to update a little early! X3

I apologize that the chapters have been so short thus far- I promise they will start getting longer after this! Enjoy :)

Oh, and this is a very flashback-heavy chapter. Just to forestall any confusion you might have, it starts on a flashback, and then switches back and forth between flashbacks and the present.

Disclaimer: I don't own Transformers. Not even a DVD. :( But I do own Kathryn and the plot. :)

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Barricade was nearing the heart of the city when he heard the explosions. The fighting had started. Quickly, he transformed in a deserted area and turned off his Decepticon activation codes, rendering his optics a neutral white. Hopefully this would prevent the Autobots from shooting at him.

His plan was to bring down a Decepticon in front of one of the Autobots, to demonstrate that he was changing sides. It was risky at best, especially since most Decepticons were bigger than he was. But, he would have the element of surprise and, hopefully, the help of the Autobots.

If everything went according to plan.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Barricade finished his story at receiving the summons to fight at Mission City. When he had finished, Kathryn was silent for a few minutes.

"So, which side are you on?" she said finally.

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Barricade was running toward the explosions he had heard earlier when there was a loud thud behind him.

He turned. Starscream was standing there, having landed right on top of a car that was driving down the street. His ruby optics were glaring suspiciously at Barricade.

Everything was not going according to plan.

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"My situation is… difficult to explain," Barricade said. "I used to be a Decepticon. However, I was planning on defecting during the battle. A… comrade of mine found out."

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

"Barricade. Why are your optics white?" Starscream said quietly. Barricade felt his spark grow cold. That voice was only ever used when he was very, very, angry. And now Barricade was in very, very deep trouble. He had absolutely no answer, so instead of wasting time thinking of an excuse, he began surreptitiously backing away and looking for a place to hide.

A parking garage looked promising. Barricade could get in, while Starscream probably- hopefully- would not be able to fit.

"Barricade," Starscream said again, matching his every step. "I'm still waiting for an answer."

Barricade dove for the garage, shooting at Starscream with his cannon as he did so. Starscream loosed a shriek of fury and lunged after him with speed that he would not have thought possible. As Barricade crawled at top speed past cars, searching for room to turn and fight, he felt Starscream grab his leg.

"Traitor!" he screeched, digging his clawed hand into Barricade's armor. Barricade kicked and fought with all his strength, but Starscream was a lot stronger than he was, and began dragging him backwards. Starscream was crouched awkwardly, his back pressed against the concrete ceiling, but it didn't seem to hinder his movements much as he attempted to rip Barricade's left leg off. Barricade fired his cannon at Starscream's chest, with little effect, and clawed at his face in desperation.

The two continued to exchange blows, and it was clear that Barricade was losing. He didn't know how much longer he could hold out- probably less than a minute.

Ironically, he was saved from total annihilation by Megatron.

"Where are you, Starscream!" he bellowed over the commlink. "I require your assistance, NOW!!"

Starscream paused in his pounding of Barricade. He smirked. The mech was a mess, and he surely wouldn't be able to escape.

"I'll come back for you later," he said, and punched Barricade in the face.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Kathryn reached out and gently touched the dent in his cheekplate. "So, he did this to you?"

"Yes," Barricade said. He did not add that Starscream would most likely come back to finish him off if he found the chance. Much as he might hate to admit it, he needed this femme, and could not afford to scare her off. He decided to change the subject.

"So, where exactly are we? And how did you get here?"

"Well, 'here' is the lowest level of a parking garage," Kathryn said. She looked a little suspicious at the sudden change of subject, but apparently decided against questioning it. "I was walking on the sidewalk, going back to my apartment, when I heard explosions. To make a long story short, I looked for the safest place to hide, and this parking garage seemed like the strongest building around, so I went in here, and found you."

"And how long has it been since then?" Barricade said.

"About ten hours, I think?" Kathryn said. She tilted her head, trying to remember. "It was like 3 in the afternoon, I guess…" She looked at the watch on her wrist. "It's a little past midnight now, so. Nine hours." The revelation of the time seemed to make her tired. She yawned, and, to Barricade's great surprise, lay down on top of his chassis. "You don't mind if I sleep here, do you?"

Barricade was shocked. Why would she want to sleep there, of all places? On the other hand, it was rather nice… he pushed the thought from his mind.

"Wouldn't you rather sleep in your apartment?" he said.

She shifted. "Well… um, one of the things I didn't mention is that I saw my apartment building get destroyed," she said quietly. "So I really have nowhere to go. But at least I have my purse." _Leave it to a femme to think of something like that_, Barricade thought. "So, um… you _don't_ mind, do you?" she said, sounding almost desperate. It struck Barricade that _she_ needed _him_. Well, it fit. He needed her.

"You can stay," he said finally. Kathryn sighed in relief and snuggled in closer. As Barricade dropped into recharge, he barely heard her whisper, "Thank you."

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

A/N: The 'activation codes' thing was something I read in another fic, the idea of it being that if you have Decepticon or Autobot activation codes, then your optics will be red or blue, respectively. Optics seem to be a major way that transformers identify their faction, especially in the movieverse, so I took the idea and ran with it. So, whoever thought of that (if one person did think it up?), I owe you one, please let me know who you are in a review and I will make sure to credit you.

Also, I'm sorry if Barricade seems OOC at all, part of it is that he's in an unprecedented situation and sort of thinks that he has to suck up to Kathryn to survive or something. Also, maybe his circuitry was damaged, so he's not thinking right?? I dunno, I'll think of some excuse! ;)

Also, Kathryn is named after Captain Kathryn Janeway of Star Trek: Voyager, since I'm a hopeless Trekkie! ;D

Please review! I adore reviews!


	4. Fix It

Seeing as I've got another review- thank you so much Lady GryphonInia!!- I decided to update again! Thanks to all the people who have faved my story and put it on alert- it makes me feel loved... ::warm fuzzies:: Anyways, I would just like to say, please review! It means a lot to me to get feedback from other TF fans- even if it's just, "Good story, update soon" or something.

Also, I am wondering if I should get a beta reader. I have actually finished this fic for the forseeable future (and am considering a sequel), but I would appreciate having someone to bounce ideas off of. If you would like to beta for me, please let me know. :)

Oh, and there are footnotes at the bottom to explain stuff, just so you know. Because I hate interrupting a story to explain stuff.

Disclaimer: I'm making loads of money off this fic! Just kidding, I'm not getting a cent from this. Donations are accepted, though ;D

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Barricade came out of recharge gradually. The first thing he noticed was, predictably, the pain. At least it was receding, thank Primus. It was no longer a global phenomenon, and had limited itself mostly to his left leg and head. His optic in particular felt terrible. Well, no surprise there.

He suddenly realized that the femme, Kathryn, was not resting atop his chassis, and suffered a brief moment of sheer panic. Primus, she had left him! He'd been abandoned again… Well after all, she had no reason to trust him. She probably thought the big scary alien robot was going to blow her apart at any minute. He would just have to get along without her. Although how he would survive, he had no idea.

He rolled over and sat up with some effort, trying to plan what he would do. Recharge could only handle so much, after all, and he couldn't fix himself. What if he had to move? His leg certainly wouldn't let him go very far-

Footsteps on the concrete stairwell interrupted his thoughts.

Kathryn was walking down the stairs. She smiled at him cheerfully as she reached the bottom level and walked toward him. "Good morning," she practically trilled on seeing the obvious relief in his face.

Barricade mentally berated himself for automatically assuming the worst. He would have to reexamine his assumptions about humanity, or at least this human. He leaned back against the concrete wall and sighed.

Then he noticed his leg. It was a mess, to be sure, but there was a part of it that looked… fixed. As though somebody had started repairs to it.

"Breakfast of champions," Kathryn was saying, sitting down next to him and opening the paper bag she had been carrying. Then she noticed him staring at his leg. "What?" she said.

Barricade pointed to his leg. "Did you… do this?"

"Uh… yeah," Kathryn said, obviously unsure of whether this was a good thing. "I know a lot about cars, you know, and it looked like I could fix it, I mean, I could just tell how it was supposed to look, so I started trying to fix it, but that was when you woke up and-"

"Why?" he said.

Kathryn seemed confused by the question. "What?"

"Why did you even think of helping?" Barricade said. "Why didn't you just run away?"

"You needed help," Kathryn said, shrugging and unwrapping something that she had taken from the paper bag. "So I helped you." She took a bite of her food, looking at it thoughtfully.

Barricade watched her with a certain measure of fascination. He'd never observed this particular physiological process before. It seemed an inefficient way of obtaining nutrients, but she was obviously enjoying it.

"Do you need food?" she said after a minute, having noticed him watching her.

"I do not require nourishment," Barricade said. He watched her eat for another few moments. She was apparently trying to ignore his gaze on her. Finally she turned and looked him in the eye.

"What is it?" she said. "Why are you watching me eat?"

"I... do not understand eating," Barricade said. "Why are there so many different foods? Would it not make sense to simply formulate one type of food?"

Kathryn grinned. "Thank you, Mr. Spock," she said under her breath. (1)

"What?"

"Nevermind," she said. "It would make sense to have just one food, if you didn't take taste into account. You'd probably have to have taste buds to understand, but people like to eat different tasting things at different times, as the mood strikes them. At the moment, I am in the mood for a breakfast biscuit from McDonald's." She smiled and bit into said breakfast biscuit with satisfaction.

Barricade used the time spent by her breakfast to run self-diagnostics. Besides the obvious damage, his communications arrays had been knocked out of alignment, and long-range sensors were completely shot.

Also, horror of horrors, his cannon was broken.

He was finishing his self-diagnostic routines when Kathryn dragged him out of his thoughts yet again. "Back to work," she said. Barricade noticed that her hair was now restrained by an elastic band.

"What?" he said.

"Back to working on you," she amended. "I mean, your leg definitely needs more work, right?"

"But why?" Barricade said.

"Well, besides the fact that I kinda owe you one from last night? You're joining the good guys," Kathryn said.

Barricade was once again at a loss for words. After all, he'd never exactly said, "Oh by the way, the Autobots are the ones that are nice to humans," or something. How did she seem to know everything? This femme was starting to creep him out.

"You know," Kathryn said, grinning at the expression on his face, "the name 'Decepticon' was what gave it away for me. I mean, it's 'deception' with a C thrown in. You don't need to be a genius to figure out that they're not the nicest of people. Plus, you don't 'defect' to bad guys, you get forced to join. It's pretty easy to figure out that the Autobots are the good guys." Her smile at his confusion threatened to become a smirk. "Now. Do you want me to help you, or not?"

Kathryn was surprisingly good at fixing things. After examining his left leg and muttering something about 'fubar,' (2) whatever that meant, she had gone out to get supplies and returned with sacks from a store called "Ace." (3) While unable to hammer out the dents from his armor, she managed to rewire things to fit around the dents. Her skill was impressive. Barricade's impression had been that only males were interested in cars or mechanics, but obviously that was untrue. She seemed to have an uncanny ability to identify car parts that were almost absurdly out of place. For instance, she had almost instantly recognized his driveshaft as one of the integral components of his support structure, despite the fact that only half of it resided in each leg. (4)

"Thank God it isn't bent," she said, running one finger along it thoughtfully. Primus, that felt good… better than he was willing to admit.

"If it were broken," she continued, thankfully oblivious to the bent his thoughts were taking, "there would be no way I could fix it." Her finger paused at the end of the driveshaft. "Damn. Speak of the devil. The connecting pins are split. There's no way you're driving out of here."

"Slag," Barricade commented.

Kathryn looked at him. "What's that mean?"

Barricade shifted a little. "It's… a curse word," he muttered, uncharacteristically embarrassed.

"Oh," Kathryn said, sounding amused.

"So, can you fix it?"

Kathryn sighed. "I think this one is beyond me. I can't fix or replace connecting pins; I need an entire replacement driveshaft. And even if I had one, it might not be compatible, and it definitely wouldn't be as strong as this one, to say nothing of how I could cut it to size and install it. I could try to bind the broken parts together, to keep the pieces from falling off and getting lost in your foot, but it wouldn't fix them."

"Would I be able to walk?" Barricade said.

"Probably," Kathryn said. "But I really wouldn't know."

"Do it, then," he said. Noting her facial expression, he quickly added, "Please."

She held back an obvious grin and began to rummage through one of the sacks. "Well, I'm going to bind the parts back together, but you probably should try not to walk on it. It depends on how much weight is put on the things, and if it holds together." She pulled out a large roll of wire and a pair of wire clippers. "At least all the breaks are clean."

Several hours and more than one jury-rigged fix later, Kathryn sat down and sighed. Barricade was only mildly surprised that she had decided to sit down on his lap. After all, she had sat just about everywhere on his leg for the last few hours.

"What you really need," she said, "is to have some other Cybertronian fix you. There's only so much I can do here."

Barricade sighed. He knew she was right, but he wasn't quite ready to admit that yet. After all, there was only one Cybertronian medic on the planet, and his nickname was rumored to be 'Hatchet.' Barricade wasn't going to run to _him_ in a hurry.

Then again, he wasn't going to run anywhere for quite a while.

"Can you call the Autobots?" Kathryn said. "I mean, you were gonna join them, right? You're just a day late. I bet they'd be willing to help you, especially if I vouch for you."

"You'd do that?" Barricade said.

Kathryn shrugged. "Sure," she said, as though it were no big deal to vouch for an ex-Decepticon. (Barricade definitely considered himself to have been thrown out of the ranks of the Decepticons, seeing as he'd been beaten up by the second-in-command.)

Barricade held back another sigh. "My communications array is not working," he said.

Kathryn looked up at him with those green eyes and grinned. "Bet I could fix it," she said.

And so it came to pass that Barricade was lying flat on his stomach with Kathryn perched on his neck when a black GMC Topkick screeched to a halt in front of them.

TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF

Bwahahahahaa, cliffie::evil grin:: Well, please review and let me know what you think! Reviews may help updates come quicker… hint hint hint... ;)

Footnotes:

(1) Like I said… I'm an unmitigated Trekkie... :D So I'll probably be sticking random references to Star Trek in… a lot of the time it isn't even intentional… o.O

(2) Hehe. I just couldn't resist putting that in. XP

(3) Yes, the store is open. I for one would think that a hardware store like ACE would be making a killing at a time like this, right? And anyways, it's away from the battle zone.

(4) I know so much about cars because my dad's a car nut and has passed on a lot of information about them over the years. Also, I helped repair a Corvette over the summer, so I know what a lot of the parts look like and stuff. It seemed like a good idea to relate that knowledge to this fic, to make it a little more realistic.

Explanation of a driveshaft for those not too interested: It's a long rod that turns engine power into wheel turning, and it better not get damaged in any way or you will not be driving anywhere soon.

Explanation of a driveshaft for those who are interested: The driveshaft is on the bottom of the car, and is the part that transfers the engine's power to the rear wheels. Very important for a rear-wheel-drive car such as a Mustang. It's one of the strongest parts of a car, so I think it makes sense that it would be like a femur or something to a Transformer. If it gets bent, you are screwed. The connecting pins are a very important part, and they have to fit in their little sockets just right, or, again, you are screwed.

Oh, and I don't own McDonald's, just so you know. Or ACE.


	5. Roll Out

YAYYY!!! REVIEWS ::glomps reviewers:: Thank you all sooo much, I really enjoyed reading them. :D

Also thanks to y'all who faved my story and put it on alert! You really do love me... ::warm fuzzies::

Disclaimer: I own Transformers: The Soundtrack. That's the only thing named 'Transformers' that I own.

Claimer: I own Kathryn and the plot.

'_commlink_'

"talking"

_thoughts_

----------------------------------------

Ironhide was assisting Captain Lennox, who had been placed in charge of evacuation of 'affected areas.' (That was military-speak for "places the giant robots shot into tiny little pieces.") Every person who had been anywhere remotely near an 'affected area' was being moved to temporary housing outside the city, both for the usual safety reasons and to allow the Autobots to safely assume robot form. Ironhide was performing a thorough sweep of outlying areas, and hadn't been expecting to find anything out of the ordinary this far from the battle zone.

However, the car that looked like it had been stomped on _was_ just a tiny bit suspicious.

So were the gouge marks inside the parking structure. It looked like a giant hand had clawed out chunks of concrete from the floor and various other areas. As a matter of fact, Ironhide suspected, that was almost exactly what had happened. It definitely merited a closer look. He transformed into his alt mode and drove inside the abandoned parking structure, following the trail of giant scratches, prepared for anything.

Well, almost anything. He hadn't expected to see Barricade stretched out on the ground, with a human female sitting on his shoulders, singing "Shut Up And Drive." (1)

He slammed on the brakes, mentally wincing as they screeched in protest. The female jumped, and Barricade visibly stiffened. The singing, needless to say, stopped in a hurry.

"What the frag is going on here?" Ironhide growled in the most intimidating tone he could muster. He was rewarded by seeing Barricade tense up another notch.

"That truck is huge," the human commented, with amazing composure. "Friend of yours?"

"I can only hope," Barricade said. Ironhide noticed that his cheekplate had a nasty-looking dent in it. In fact, he seemed to be in pretty rough shape overall, a rather suspicious state of affairs considering he hadn't seen Barricade in the fighting. "He's an Autobot."

Ironhide growled. Barricade twitched slightly. This was really too much fun.

It didn't intimidate the female, though. Withdrawing her hand from inside Barricade's neck, she gave the Topkick a withering gaze.

"What, you've never seen a girl fix something before?" she said. There was a snort of badly suppressed laughter from Barricade. "Oh, by the way, you can turn your head now," she added casually, climbing onto his shoulder. Barricade, somewhat emboldened by her fearless attitude, sat up gingerly, grinning at Ironhide. Ironhide was shocked to see that one optic was all but shattered, and the other-

The other was a neutral white.

Primus. He hadn't seen that one coming.

"In case you haven't already guessed," Barricade said into the ringing silence, "I wish to defect."

Well. That would certainly save everyone some trouble if it were true. Ironhide, however, had always hated Barricade, and damned if he was inclined to take anything he said at face value.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" he said suspiciously. Barricade scowled.

"What do you think I did, beat myself up? And even if I had, how could I give myself this?" he pointed at his cracked optic.

Ironhide considered. That was pretty true. Also, the concrete chunks torn out of the ceiling on the ground level would have been pretty hard for Barricade to pull off himself. And a wrecked car was just too obvious.

Still, if it was a trap, he'd just strolled right on in.

Good thing Optimus and Ratchet were listening to the whole thing on the comm link.

Ironhide wasn't _completely_ brawn over brains, after all.

Ironhide sighed mentally. He would have to treat Barricade as a captured Decepticon combatant until further notice. The human definitely complicated things, though. She would have to be separated from Barricade.

"Optimus Prime and Ratchet are coming," he informed them. "If you're serious about defecting, you won't mind coming up and saying hello." He half expected to see Barricade do what the humans referred to as a 'sweatdrop,' but was disappointed. "You come first, human."

The human surprised him by folding her arms indignantly and giving him a Death Glare that Hatchet- er, Ratchet- would have been proud of.

"I have a name, you know," she said frostily.

Primus. Barricade was a whipped puppy compared to this femme. She was incredibly irritating.

"And what is your name?" he ground out, trying to ignore Barricade's unsuccessful attempt to suppress a smirk.

"Kathryn," she said.

"Well, Kathryn," he grated, "come here."

The femme managed to look even more pissed. "What am I, your bitch?" she said. Barricade looked just as shocked as Ironhide felt, then began to rumble with badly stifled laughter. Ironhide resisted the urge to shoot something.

"I mean seriously," Kathryn continued, "I can tell a 'rescue attempt' when I see it. Jeez. I'm not some damsel in distress over here or something, I'm not in danger…"

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By the time Optimus and Ratchet arrived and had the parking garage scoped out, the verbal dressing-down had become a full-blown argument, with Kathryn and Ironhide practically shouting at each other while Barricade looked on, laughing. Most infuriating, Kathryn was still perched firmly atop Barricade's shoulder.

A short blast of sirens interrupted the melee as Ratchet pulled up behind Ironhide.

'_You've never met a femme you didn't get along with, have you Ironhide?_' he said over a private frequency.

'_Shut up_,' groused Ironhide.

"Well, what have we here?" Ratchet said, with more calm than he felt. Primus, Barricade looked to be in a bad way. Although he had definitely been fixed somewhat… this was just getting stranger and stranger.

"A defector, a friend, and a really pissed off truck," the femme said. Ratchet remembered that her name was Kathryn. Well. She certainly had a sense of humor. She studied Ratchet curiously.

"Are you gonna try and _save_ me too?" she said, smirking. Apparently she wasn't afraid of Barricade in the least. Ordering her around had definitely proven to be a bad move for Ironhide, so he decided to take the humorous approach instead.

"In fact, I am," he said. Kathryn only had time to look shocked and pissed before he added, "Ironhide, go."

Ironhide grumbled, but obeyed, reluctantly turning and driving out of the parking garage.

"There. You're safe now," he informed her. Kathryn smirked. Good, he was building rapport. He'd also one-upped Ironhide, something that gave him great satisfaction, although he would never admit it to anyone.

"What about me?" Barricade interrupted. "Am I safe?" He regarded Ratchet warily with his good optic.

Ratchet sighed. "As long as you don't attempt to harm one of us, or escape, you will not be harmed. However, you are our prisoner."

Kathryn looked a little annoyed, but Barricade shrugged slightly. "Better than I was expecting," he commented.

"Are you ambulatory?" Ratchet said. Although with his left leg in that state, the answer was very likely no.

Barricade actually looked to Kathryn for the answer, much to Ratchet's surprise.

"Like I said, it wasn't a perfect fix, but you could probably go a short distance," she said. "Take it easy, though."

It dawned on Ratchet. "Did you… repair him?" he said in disbelief.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, is there a problem with that?"

Uh oh. This was starting to sound like a repeat of what he'd heard over the comm.

"No, I'm just a little surprised Barricade would let a human treat him," he said.

"Touché," Barricade said. He picked up Kathryn with surprising gentleness and set her down on the concrete. "Go on, I don't want to fall over on top of you," he told her. When she still looked a little doubtful, he gave her a gentle shove with one long finger. "He won't hurt you, he's a medic."

Ratchet opened his passenger door. "Well, get in, then." Gratifyingly, Kathryn did.

"I'm Ratchet, by the way," Ratchet said, hoping she wouldn't snipe at him.

"Kathryn," she said. "So, what happens now?" she asked as she settled herself in the passenger seat.

"Optimus Prime will borrow a trailer and transport Barricade to our temporary base," Ratchet said. "I will attempt to repair him, but needless to say I'm a little low on supplies right now."

"You could take the stuff I got from Ace," Kathryn said, nodding toward the brown paper bags next to Barricade, who was testing his leg.

There was a short silence.

"Well say something," Kathryn said, looking at the radio with an expression of annoyance.

"…That's actually a pretty good idea," Ratchet said.

He got the Death Glare at full blast. Kathryn rolled down the window before Ratchet could protest and called, "Hey, Barricade, could you give me the bags from the hardware store? We'll probably need it to fix you." Ratchet did not miss her use of the word 'we.'

To Ratchet's surprise, Barricade nodded and picked up the two sacks in one clawed hand, careful not to spill anything, then crawled up the concrete ramp and handed them to her through Ratchet's open window. "Thank you," she said. Barricade made an odd face and grunted, then crawled past them toward the exit. Ratchet noted his progress. As long as he didn't put much pressure on his left leg, he could move fairly well, albeit awkwardly.

"Where did you get all that, anyway?" Ratchet said curiously as he shifted into drive.

"Ace," Kathryn replied. "It's a hardware store." She pointed vaguely in a direction away from the battle zone. "It's like a mile that way."

"And you walked all the way there?"

"Sure," Kathryn said. "Walking's good for you. Well, humans, that is."

When Ratchet and Barricade made their way outside, Ironhide was standing there with both cannons out and primed. Ratchet resisted the urge to sigh loudly.

"Jeeeeez," Kathryn said, staring at the cannons in awe. "He's like a giant testosterone molecule." Ratchet googled 'testosterone' and silently agreed.

"Prime's gone to get hitched up to a trailer," Ironhide informed them, leaning casually against the parking structure and aiming his cannons at Barricade. Barricade, for his part, sighed quietly and sat back against the garage, leaning slightly away from Ironhide. "Until he gets back…"

"Sit tight?" Kathryn supplied. Ironhide looked confused. Evidently he had forgotten Bumblebee's sage advice to them: "When in doubt, Google." It had proven useful time and again. Wikipedia was a lifesaver.

'_Sit tight: to be patient and await the next move,_' (2) he told Ironhide over the commlink. '_Really, if you don't understand something, you should Google it._'

Ironhide actually rolled his optics, which made Kathryn giggle. "Close enough," he said.

"So," Kathryn said to Ratchet, "you're the doctor?"

"Yes," Ratchet said.

"Will you be able to fix him all right? I mean, I did the best I could, but I don't really know about alien physiol-"

"YOU TRIED TO FIX HIM WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT YOU WERE DOING?!!" roared Ratchet. He was in full Doctor Mode.

"That's not what I said!" Kathryn protested. "I know a lot about cars, and a decent amount about wiring and stuff, I just didn't really know his physiology. Like, say, you could probably fix an Earth computer without being told how it was put together, right?"

"I suppose so," Ratchet admitted.

"Even moreso if it was able to tell you how to fix it," Kathryn added.

"That would make a difference. I am wondering, though, how you seem to know we're… not from Earth."

"Barricade gave me a condensed version of the war for the Allspark and stuff," Kathryn said. "(I'm going to assume you won that battle yesterday, by the way.) And believe me, it was a tamer explanation than some of the stuff my imagination was coming up with. Although I have to say, the compatibility of Earth and Cybertronian technologies is almost eerie."

_If only you knew,_ Ratchet thought. (3)

"We defeated the Decepticons," Optimus Prime said. His voice startled Ratchet, who had been listening to Kathryn ramble. "However, the Allspark was destroyed."

"What?!" Barricade appeared to be in shock, as well as extra-nervous in Prime's presence. Kathryn, though, did not seem perturbed as much as impressed by the Peterbilt as Prime pulled up alongside them. He was towing a nondescript gray trailer that looked like it had seen better days but was still in decent condition.

"The human Sam Witwicky- I believe you are familiar with him-" Barricade's face twitched at this, but he did not comment. "-pushed the cube into Megatron's spark, killing him and destroying the Cube."

"Wow," Kathryn commented. "So… it's over? The war, I mean."

"I wish I could say so," Prime rumbled. "But I fear the animosity will not end with the Allspark's destruction. Starscream has escaped-" here Barricade hissed, but Prime ignored it- "and is probably recruiting reinforcements."

"He'll probably have poor luck," Barricade said, almost sneering. "The only thing that kept a lot of Decepticons in line, Starscream included, was the fear that Megatron would show up and punish anyone who hadn't been faithfully trying to find him and the Allspark. With that incentive gone, many will have no interest in further fighting." He shrugged. "Some, though, simply enjoy destruction." He spared a pointed glance at Ironhide, who scowled.

"Thank you for your analysis," Prime said politely. "Now, as to the present situation. I will transport Barricade and Kathryn to our temporary base. Ratchet, follow me. Ironhide, return to your patrol. Kathryn, would you mind opening the rear doors of the trailer?"

"Sure thing." Kathryn hopped out of the medical Hummer. "Can't you just do it yourself, though? Just wondering…"

"It's not mine, it's on loan from the American government," Prime explained.

"My tax dollars at work," Kathryn said, pulling the doors open. "That explains why it doesn't match your paint job."

Prime opened the passenger side door once Barricade had climbed inside the trailer. "Hop in."

"Be good for me, 'Cade!" Kathryn chirped, and secured the trailer doors with incredible speed. She practically skipped to Prime's cab, smirking, as a muffled "What the FRAG?!" issued from the trailer.

"So," she said once she was safely inside. "I'm Kathryn Andromeda."

"I am Optimus Prime."

"Pleased to meet you, Optimus Prime. And may I just say, that your paint job is totally bitchin'."

"…what?"

Kathryn grinned hugely. "You look really, really cool."

"…thank you."

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Yeah, so I realized somewhere along in the third chapter that I didn't have a last name for Kathryn. So there it is. I also decided to give her a slightly more kick-ass personality, hope y'all don't mind. ;)

I just couldn't resist the 'Cade bit at the end there. :evil grin: I suspect he would really hate to be given a nickname.

(1) Who's singing here? I'll just let you decide. X3

(2) From I actually Googled 'sit tight' and it was the first thing that came up. Google really is an awesome thing. ;)

(3) I forget if Sam told the Autobots that Earth technology is reverse engineered from Megatron, so I'm just going to assume that he did here.

Dragonflamecrystal: I know, cars are awesome! Glad you like my fic!

KlingonLady: Hehe, don't worry about being well-rounded! I doubt that I've ever left a 'well-rounded' review! XP

Asmyth.17: I know, Janeway kicks ass! ;D

Razorgaze: It was my pleasure! Good luck with your car:)

Seiya12: I know, me too!

ShadowDemon-Gengar: Thanks so much for your thoughtful review! I have already taken your advice on the line breaks... and I promise I won't beg for reviews anymore! ;)

tigerwolf204: Thanks, I do try, but it's so hard not to just lift a really good idea when I do! I'm working on it, though...

Truth of Barricade: Glad you're hooked! Don't worry, he won't die- that would end the fic! ;P

Leshyaedawnfire: hehe, nice to meet a fellow Trekkie:D

Misao-CG: ...um, sure... he might run away screaming, though... XP

Well, there it is! Please review!


	6. Professional Help

Hooray! I reached 1,000 hits!! I feel so loved! Anyways, this is the longest chapter yet! Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I am not Hasbro. I do not own Transformers.

Claimer: I am me, and I own the plotline and Kathryn.

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Barricade grew increasingly nervous as the steady rumble of Optimus Prime's engine faded. He could tell that they had stopped. At least things were about to become a little more interesting. He'd been terribly bored inside the trailer. It was dark and confined, the ride was bumpy, and there was absolutely nothing to do but dwell on how helpless he was.

Barricade hated being helpless.

The doors to the trailer opened. Barricade found himself irrationally hoping that it was Kathryn, but was disappointed to see Ratchet standing there.

"Well," Ratchet said, "we've arrived. Let's get you inside, I've got a temporary med bay set up." He reached out a hand, but Barricade grunted.

"I can get out by myself," he said, crawling out of the trailer and attempting to stand upright.

The Autobots' temporary base was an old US air force base. Its main distinguishing feature was the hangar, a giant building that covered thousands of square feet. It looked distressingly dull.

Ratchet was not buying Barricade's tough act, and took him firmly by the arm.

"Oh, no, you don't," he said. "You are my patient, and I will not allow you to injure yourself trying to walk. I don't care what you have to say about it," he added to forestall further protests as he guided Barricade inside the hangar, supporting some of his weight. "I've been speaking to Kathryn, and she says part of the main support strut in your left leg is broken and can't be repaired. You shouldn't be putting any weight on it. I'll carry you if I have to."

A laugh from further inside the hangar drew his attention. Ratchet had positioned three cargo containers (1) near one wall to make a sort of med bay. Lying on one of the cargo containers was a yellow mech. Barricade resisted the urge to groan. Bumblebee. He'd been wondering when the slagger would show up.

"He _will_ carry you, you know," Bumblebee called cheerfully, in a slightly raspy voice. "Who's the lucky bot?"

"Barricade," Ratchet said calmly.

"WHAT?!!" shrieked a smaller voice. As they drew closer, Barricade recognized the human, Sam Witwicky, sitting next to Bumblebee. He looked outraged.

"Why are you helping him?!" the Witwicky boy continued in the same tone of horror. "He tried to kill me! He tried to kill Bee!"

"Barricade is defecting," Ratchet informed them. Barricade was more than a little shocked to notice that Bumblebee appeared to be missing his feet and ankles. "If he even tries to harm you, I'll personally reformat him into a toaster."

"An evil toaster?" the Witwicky boy said, sounding amused, as Ratchet helped Barricade onto one of the cargo containers. "That might be fun to have around."

"Your desire for evil toast is destined to remain unfulfilled," Barricade growled, watching Ratchet produce Kathryn's supplies from his subspace and place them on the third cargo container. "I'd much prefer to be a hypospanner anyway," he couldn't resist adding. The look on the boy's face was priceless.

"No, you're definitely toaster material," Ratchet said, pushing Barricade into a prone position. "Now hold still, I'm running a full scan on you."

"Why are you defecting?" Bumblebee said. Barricade couldn't see his face, but the tone held a definite challenge. "Did I get to you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," Barricade said, irked by the poke at his ego. "The idea didn't just pop into my head a few planetary cycles ago."

"Days," the Witwicky boy said. "They're called days."

"Quiet, the three of you," Ratchet said in a tone that brooked no opposition. "I'll fix the worst of your damage, Barricade, but there's nothing I can do about that support strut."

"Driveshaft," Barricade muttered.

"How do you know what it's called?" Bumblebee said.

"Why do you care?" Barricade shot back.

"SHUT UP!" Ratchet shouted. He waited for a few seconds to make sure he was being obeyed, then continued talking to Barricade as though nothing had happened. "I'll have to get a new driveshaft for you. That's not potentially life-threatening, though; first I need to attend to the more serious matter of your head injuries."

"What's wrong with my head?" Barricade asked. The mention of the word 'life-threatening' made him very nervous. "Besides the obvious."

"You've sustained extreme blunt trauma to your cranial processors," Ratchet said. "What hit you, anyway?"

"Starscream's fist," Barricade said. "That was after he tried to rip my leg off."

"Why would Starscream attack you?" the Witwicky boy said.

With a great effort, Barricade resisted the almost overwhelming urge to call him an idiot.

"Perhaps it was _because I was defecting_?" he suggested, scowling.

"Enough," Ratchet said. "I'm going to have to deactivate you to repair the damage." He studied Barricade's face expectantly.

Barricade held back a whimper. He really didn't like the idea of being completely helpless in the hands of the Autobots. Then again, Ratchet had pledged not to harm him.

That, plus the fact the fact that he really had no choice, decided it.

"Fine," he sighed. Unexpectedly, he found himself wishing that he could see Kathryn one more time before losing consciousness. He really was getting too soft…

"Do you have to work on him first?" was the last thing he heard.

"It's the first rule of triage, Bumblebee," Ratchet was saying as Optimus entered the hangar, carrying Kathryn in one giant hand.

"Treat the life-threatening injuries first?" Kathryn supplied.

"Yes," Ratchet said, not looking up from the cargo container he was bent over.

"So he has a life-threatening injury?" Kathryn said, a little worried.

"Potentially," Ratchet said. "I should be able to fix it, though. This is Bumblebee, by the way, and Sam Witwicky." He gestured to the bright yellow mech seated on the nearest cargo container. There was a teenage boy perched on one of his legs. Both regarded Kathryn with intense curiosity. Kathryn was horrified to see that Bumblebee appeared to have no feet, but tried not to show it.

"Hi, I'm Kathryn," she said.

"I have to go on patrol," Optimus said. "Would you stay here?"

"There's not much place else to go," Kathryn pointed out. Optimus lowered his hand so Kathryn could join Bumblebee and Sam Witwicky on the cargo container, then turned and strode out of the hangar.

"Play nice and don't get too loud," Ratchet ordered them. "This is a delicate operation, and I need to concentrate."

"Okay," Kathryn said, feeling very awkward.

"Sit down, it's all right," Bumblebee said, gesturing to his lap. "I don't mind."

"Thanks," Kathryn said, taking the indicated seat. It was actually pretty comfortable. She was suddenly reminded of sitting in Barricade's lap. She glanced toward Barricade, but Ratchet was blocking her view.

"So," Sam said. Kathryn suppressed a grin; she could tell already he had very little experience talking to girls. "Why are you here?"

Kathryn looked at him. "You mean besides the fact that my apartment building got blown up?" she said. "I made friends with Barricade."

Sam gaped at her in horror. Kathryn narrowed her eyes.

"Mind telling me what's wrong with a little compassion?" she said, irritated. "It's rumored to be one of humanity's best traits, you know."

"He tried to kill me!" Sam said, making little strangle-y motions in midair to emphasize his point. "He's dangerous!"

Kathryn considered pointing out that Barricade had not harmed her at all in the more than twenty-four hours they had spent together. However, going for shock value won out.

"He's cute," Kathryn said, grinning at the dumbfounded expression on Sam's face.

"You think Barricade is… _cute_?" Bumblebee said, sounding dazed.

"You're cute too, in case you were wondering," Kathryn said, rolling her eyes. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "God, I need a shower and a change of clothes… and a nap…" She sighed and leaned back against Bumblebee.

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"Hey, Bee, is she okay?" Sam said once the girl had fallen asleep. Bumblebee had already run a cursory scan on the girl, but he did another one, just to make sure. The results were the same.

"Vital signs are all strong," he reported. "No evidence of cuts, bruises, or other injuries. She's just fine, Sam." He considered for a moment. "You know, I think Barricade's telling the truth."

"What?" Sam twisted around to look at him. "You're just gonna believe him?!"

"It's the most rational explanation, Sam," Bumblebee said calmly. "You know, I've been wondering about that night. It was… too easy. Barricade made his name on Cybertron tracking down and killing Autobots. When I saw him coming after you… I couldn't believe you weren't seriously injured. I was afraid for my life when he attacked me, but after a few moments, he practically lay down and let me pound him. At the time, I was just glad you were safe, but I couldn't understand why I beat him so easily. I wonder if he was just putting on a show for Frenzy."

Sam was thoughtful, then made a noncommittal noise. "Well, I guess that makes sense. But you can't expect me to just like him."

"I don't," Bumblebee assured him. "Just… try to give him a chance."

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He was chasing the human, Samuel Witwicky, through an endless, dilapidated, and badly lit human edifice. Random debris was strewn about carelessly, threatening to trip him up. Barricade growled in frustration. The boy was a human, easy prey, and he was the consummate hunter. This was what he was born to do.

But if that was so, then why was it so slagging hard to catch the boy? Barricade growled again and forced his legs to move faster. He looked ahead and saw—

Kathryn?

It was unmistakably her. The Witwicky boy's hair might be the same color, but it was nowhere near as long as hers. It streamed after her as she ran.

Desperate now, he pounded after her.

Barricade stumbled; he was suddenly on an incline. Struggling to maintain his speed while running up a concrete ramp, he began to panic as he fell behind and she vanished from view.

"Wait!" he cried. "Don't leave me!" His voice echoed off the concrete walls. Kathryn did not answer.

The scenery changed again. He had just recognized the power plant when Bumblebee tackled him. Barricade rolled, struggling futilely as the yellow mech attacked him.

He had no idea how long he had been fighting when a flash of silver in his peripheral vision distracted him. Bumblebee seemed to fade away as he lay there, looking at Frenzy. The tiny hacker cackled as he grew to an enormous size.

Starscream grinned evilly, standing over him. "I told you I'd come back for you," he said, and reached for him with one giant clawed hand.

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Ratchet had finished the repairs to Barricade's circuits. The most recent damage, as it had turned out, was relatively simple. More noteworthy had been what appeared to be very old damage to some secondary emotional and memory relays. He shook his head in indignation; Decepticon medics must be terrible to have missed something so important. No matter, though; all damage, old and new, had been repaired. Even the cracked optic, which he had managed to bind together. It would eventually heal completely on its own.

Damn if Ratchet wasn't the best at what he did.

He'd reactivated Barricade and put him in a normal recharge. Barricade, however, only went fifteen minutes before starting to thrash.

"What's wrong with him?" Bumblebee said worriedly, looking at the black and white mech, who was crying out in his sleep.

"I think he's having a nightmare," Ratchet said. "I'll try to bring him out of recharge." He took Barricade by the shoulders and shook him.

The effect was immediate. Barricade snapped out of recharge and seized Ratchet's arms in an extremely painful grip. Ratchet did not flinch away. For a few seconds, Barricade stared at Ratchet with a look of panic in his optics, then he seemed to realize where he was and relaxed marginally.

"Please let go of me," Ratchet said, in a sort of forced calm. Barricade had a death grip on him; if he squeezed any harder, the armor would start to buckle.

Barricade forced himself to relax his grip on Ratchet's arms. He felt extremely stupid. The medic probably thought his life was in danger now. Wonderful. He lay back on the cargo container and tried to calm down.

"Bad dream?" Ratchet said. His tone was surprisingly gentle.

"Very," Barricade said, trying to suppress his trembling. He shuttered his optics, dimly aware of the tingling feel of a medical scan.

"I think your nightmare may be the result of the repairs I performed," Ratchet said. He sounded worried.

_Like he would be worried about me,_ Barricade thought.

"I fixed some very old damage to secondary memory and emotional circuits. You may become more emotive as a result, and recover lost memories. Do you have any blank spots in your memory as it is?"

Barricade considered. He couldn't remember his sparkling years, but then, that tended to be natural. Then again, he couldn't remember much about his youngling years, only that he'd left home at a very early age to join the Decepticon army.

"I don't think so," he said at last, looking up at the medic. He was finally starting to get his trembling under control. Then he remembered something. "Where's Kathryn?" he said.

"She's gone," the Witwicky boy said.

Barricade started to panic, before he realized that the human was still talking.

"…and a change of clothes, she said she really needed it," he was saying, oblivious to Barricade's mini-freakout. "Ironhide will be coming back with them any minute now, I think."

At the words 'coming back,' Barricade relaxed. She hadn't abandoned him.

Primus, why was he getting so obsessed with her? And what was with this slagging theme of abandonment? He was starting to creep himself out. Maybe it was the newly repaired emotion circuits… _yes, that must be it_, Barricade thought, conveniently overlooking the fact that his preoccupation with Kathryn had started more than a few hours ago. He sat up and tried to appear interested in the opposite wall.

Bumblebee perked up suddenly. "They're here!" he announced cheerfully. Not a minute later, Ironhide walked in, holding a human female in each hand. Barricade was delighted to see that one of them was Kathryn. The other, he supposed, was somehow… involved with the Witwicky boy. He remembered seeing her cut off Frenzy's head.

He really kind of owed her one for that.

"Barricade!" Kathryn called. "How are you?"

"I'm all right," Barricade said noncommittally. "I see you're looking better."

Kathryn glanced down at her clothes, which were different than what she had been wearing before. "Oh, yeah, I finally got a shower. And I'm kind of borrowing Mikaela's clothes right now." She stepped off Ironhide's hand next to Bumblebee and Sam. Barricade was pleased to see that she looked a little annoyed that Ironhide had not taken her over to him, but did not comment. "Anyway," Kathryn continued, "I think you remember Mikaela?"

Barricade actually smiled. Primus, he really was acting more emotive. This was _weird_. But maybe not all that bad.

"Oh, yes," he said. "You decapitated Frenzy, didn't you?" The girl nodded. "I never got to thank you for that."

The brunette seemed taken aback. "Thank me?" she said.

"Yes," Barricade said. "I really hated that little fragger."

"You cut off someone's head?" Kathryn said, sounding like she was trying to decide between horror and awe.

"It didn't kill him," Sam said, rolling his eyes.

"Hmmm," Kathryn said, obviously unsure of what to believe. She shrugged. "Anyway, you seem to be… happier, Barricade," she said.

"Yes," Barricade said. "Apparently Ratchet fixed some emotional and memory processors that were damaged thousands of years ago. Now that they're back online… I feel a little strange," he confessed. "I don't think I've ever been so… happy. It's a little scary."

"Do you have new memories now?" Kathryn said. She was sitting with her legs over the edge of the cargo container, as close to Barricade as she could get.

Come to think of it, she was the source of a lot of this irrational happiness.

Barricade shook his head. "I don't know. I haven't accessed that chip yet. To tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid of what I'll find. My days with the Decepticons weren't pretty."

"I'm sure," Ratchet said dryly. "However, the memories should integrate themselves soon enough, you needn't worry about that. Right now, you need more recharge."

"Fine," Barricade sighed. He lay back down, suddenly realizing how tired he was. Maybe recharge was a good idea…

He was practically in stasis lock in under a minute.

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Whew! I never really realized how tough it could be to write a good dream sequence till I sat down to type this. I had it all figured out in my head, but making the imagery and transitions work is harder than it seems.

I hope you liked this chapter, I had fun writing it. Especially the toaster bit XD Please review and let me know what you think!

(1)These are the huge metal boxes that you see on trains and stuff. They struck me as just the perfect size for an impromptu Transformers-sized table.

Frog1: Hmmm, I may have to include that at some point! Thanks for the suggestion!

Truth of Barricade: Thanks, I worked really hard on the characterizations in this chapter! Yes, Bee strikes me as the forgiving type, so I made him willing to give Cade a chance. :)

Dragonflamecrystal: Heehee, Ironhide never misses a chance to whip out his cannons! ;D

FutureCSICrystal: Thanks, I'm glad you like it!

Delphine Pryde: Thanks:)

Jillian Jiggs: Yeah, I was giggling when I wrote that part!

Devious Mischief: I know, details are one of my weak points. I'm trying to add more to the later chapters, though!

Insane Seto Fangirl: Sorry the chapters are short, they are picking up in length from here. I am trying to fill them out, but as mentioned above, detail is a weakness of mine...

Again, thank you all for reviewing!


	7. Memories and Massage

This chapter was fun to write, especially the end. :) Barricade's memory starts coming back! I actually wrote the dream out as a single flashback/dream, then broke it up into little scenelets. I'm kind of messing with Barricade's head here, since he keeps forgetting what he dreams about when he wakes up. (Isn't that always how it happens though?) But you, dear readers, will get to see the complete memory, thus setting up some nice tension and dramatic irony! (That's where you know something that a character doesn't, by the way. It's used a lot in comedy… ;)) Bonus points if you can figure out the significance of the memory… but I'm not telling you everything until later. ;D

Alas, that it should come to this. Finally, at the time when I am receiving ecstatic reviews that say, "Update soon!!" I arrive at my parents' house for Christmas break. And what did my mom say while we were still on the way home? "I am going to keep you busy until you want to go back to the relative peace of college life." And it's working. I already miss my dorm room, and I have very limited time online. Luckily I already have all the chapters typed out, but I have little opportunity to edit and refine them further. I can only hope they're good enough as is. This really irks me as I had several comments asking for longer chapters, and though most of the chapters from now on are over 2,000 words, I'd like to pad them out further by adding details and stuff, and now I can't. The good news is that I should still be able to update daily for the remaining chapters.

Disclaimer: If I owned Transformers, do you really think I'd be sitting around writing fanfic about it?? Hell no. There would be a sequel out already. ;P Not to mention I'd actually have a DVD of it…

Claimer: I own my ideas, which includes the storyline and Kathryn. Oh, and the name I made up in this chapter. As far as I know, there's no transformer out there with his name, but just to make it clear- it's completely original on my part. I just made it up.

To make things a little clearer:

"talking"

'_commlink_'

_Thoughts_

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Blackbird was panting. He'd never been in a battle before, and it was a lot more tiring than he had imagined.

It was also more gory than he had imagined, but he was choosing to ignore that bit for now. He had to find his brother. His brother was the most important thing right now, he'd promised his creators he would look after him.

And now he had lost track of him.

Siblings were possibly the most aggravating thing in the world.

Then again, it _had_ been Blackbird's fault they were separated. He just had to play the hero, didn't he? Taking on that giant silver Decepticon all by himself, what a fool he was. At least he had gotten away without serious injury. He spared a grin. He would have a good story to tell after this. Assuming he survived…

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Barricade's optics snapped open. He lay stock still. There was something touching his head. It took him a moment to scan and realize that it was Kathryn. She was talking… no, wait, she was singing. She didn't seem to realize that he was out of recharge.

"..tell me when, you're gonna let me in, I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin…" she was singing. (1)

"Kathryn," he said. He had to tell someone about his dream before he forgot it. Already it was fading.

"Oh!" Kathryn said. "You're awake! I'm sorry if I-"

"Never mind that right now, I need to tell you about my dream," Barricade said.

"Dream? I didn't know robots could dream."

Barricade cut her off. "It was something important… very important…" He could feel the details slipping away. "I was in a battle… I had a brother… and my name was different."

"Really? What was your name?"

Barricade shifted. How could he have forgotten that? He'd been thinking it just a few seconds ago! "I can't remember. And there was something else, too… I'd been fighting somebody… Damn, why can't I remember it?" he growled in frustration. Kathryn stroked the side of his head soothingly.

"I bet it's a memory that you lost," she said. "Don't worry, it'll come back eventually."

Barricade almost said, "How do _you_ know?" but decided against it. He might have the dream again if he went back into recharge… he shuttered his optics again.

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Blackbird ran across the battlefield, forcing himself to look at every one of the fallen mechs on the ground. Yes, there would be nightmares after this, no doubt. But he couldn't afford to pass up his little brother. He would never be able to forgive himself if he did.

After what seemed like an eternity of searching and dodging blasts from both sides, Blackbird spied the familiar armor of his brother. Relief surged through him. Ignoring the crossfire, he dashed over to the prone form and picked it up, carrying him back towards the Autobot lines. Blackbird was no medic, and he could tell that his brother needed one- badly.

A shot hit him in the back, causing him to stumble. His brother flew out of his arms, tumbling to the ground. Blackbird fell to his knees. He crawled over to his brother and shook his shoulders. He nearly cried in relief when his brother's optics opened. Those baby blue optics were an eternal source of comfort…

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Barricade came out of recharge. The first thing he was aware of was a small weight resting on his head. Kathryn must have fallen into her own recharge; she was slumped over his head in what must have been an awkward position. It was funny, but he pushed aside his amusement; right now he needed to remember his dream.

"Kathryn!" he hissed. "Wake up!"

She stirred. "What?" she yawned.

"I need you to remember my dream," Barricade said.

"Oh!" Kathryn said, sounding more awake. "Tell me."

"I was in the battle again. I found my brother… he was hurt. And then I got shot in the back," Barricade said quietly.

"Wow," Kathryn said. "Sounds like quite a battle."

"Yes," Barricade said. "But I still can't remember what my name was. And my brother's name escapes me completely. There's just one other thing I remember."

There was a short and pregnant pause.

"What's that?" Kathryn said finally.

"My brother… his optics were blue."

Another pause ensued. Kathryn was absently tracing little circles on his armor, but Barricade ignored it.

"You had to fight your own brother?" Kathryn said.

"No," Barricade replied. "That's the really confusing part of the dream. I was carrying him to safety. I don't understand it."

_Unless I was an Autobot too,_ Barricade thought. But that jarred with everything he could remember about his life. Surely it was impossible.

That was what he told himself, anyway.

"Well, if these really are memories, Ratchet will probably be pleased to hear about them," Kathryn said. "It's almost morning now, he'll probably be awake soon." She sat up. Barricade followed her lead. The Autobots were in recharge. Ratchet, Ironhide, and Prime were all parked in the middle of the hangar in vehicle mode. Bumblebee was lying prone on his 'bed.' He noticed that the Witwicky boy was gone.

"Kathryn?" he said.

She yawned and, to Barricade's slight annoyance, sat down in his lap, looking like she was ready for more recharge. "What?" she said.

"Where is the Witwicky human?" he said.

"He went… home…" Kathryn said. Barricade noted with some alarm that her voice had begun to waver strangely. "Oh God… _home_…"

What she did next could not have shocked Barricade more. Kathryn wrapped her arms around as much of Barricade's midsection as she could reach, buried her face in his side, and began to wail alarmingly. Some kind of saline fluid began leaking from her optics. All annoyance was forgotten as Barricade began to panic. Accessing his newly repaired communications array, he sent a frantic radio message to Ratchet.

'_Ratchet! Wake up! There's something wrong with Kathryn!_' he said.

'_What?_' Ratchet said sleepily. '_There had better be something serious going on._'

'_There is! Kathryn just told me that the Witwicky boy went home, and then she started _hugging_ me and making the most distressing noises! There's some kind of fluid leaking from her optics, her facial temperature has increased by two degrees, and-_'

'_Calm down, Barricade,_' Ratchet said. '_I think I know what's going on. She's crying._'

'_Crying?_' Barricade said. He'd never heard of it before.

'_Yes, it's a natural human response to stressful situations,_' Ratchet explained._ 'And Kathryn has lost her home, which is an extremely stressful situation. I believe she has avoided dwelling on the subject until now, when mentioning Sam's home reminded her of that fact._'

'_All right,_' Barricade said impatiently. He didn't want the full medical and psychological explanation right now. '_Is there anything I can do to stop it? It's very unsettling._'

'_Crying is a way of relieving stress. When Kathryn has de-stressed enough, she will stop on her own. But you can attempt to comfort her, if you want._'

'_How?_'

'_I have limited experience with this particular facet of humanity, but touch seems to be the most effective way that humans comfort each other._'

Barricade considered this. All he had to do to stop Kathryn from crying was _touch_ her? Humans were an illogical species. But, he supposed, it was worth a try.

He lifted a hand off the table and tentatively rubbed her back with one finger. Kathryn did not say anything, as she was still sobbing, but he could feel her taut muscles begin to relax. Encouraged, he continued to massage her back with gentle strokes. Her vocalizations grew softer and softer, until after a few minutes, she fell completely silent, still clinging to him like a lost sparkling. Somewhat at a loss, Barricade decided to continue rubbing her back in case she started crying again.

Besides, it was a little enjoyable.

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Kathryn hadn't meant to lose it that badly- she hadn't meant to lose it at all, in fact- but she had to admit, it had turned out pretty well.

The word 'home' had broken in her a dam that she hadn't even known was there, brought back unbidden memories of her apartment- her sanctuary, her special little place in the world, her possessions, her cat, oh God her _cat_, pictures of loved ones, her rubber ducky, her laptop, her entire CD collection, and a million other random things.

In short, everything she didn't have anymore. The reality of it all came crashing down on her head, and she had simply fallen apart.

To her great embarrassment, she had actually hugged Barricade- and who knew how he would react to that- and wailed loudly into his side, crying like a baby and completely unable to stop herself. She expected him to draw back in disgust- crying was only attractive in the movies, after all- but was too far gone to care.

She had been amazed, therefore, when she felt his touch on her back. He was actually giving her a _backrub_! It was so incredibly sweet and unexpected of him that she could feel herself calming down almost instantly. After a few minutes, she managed to stop crying and just enjoy the moment and the feel of the impromptu massage with her eyes closed, listening to what sounded like a heartbeat in Barricade's chest.

"Thanks," she said quietly, after several more minutes had passed. "I needed that."

"Will you be all right?" Barricade said. He sounded worried.

Kathryn sniffled a little. "Yeah. I just… needed to cry."

"You frightened me," Barricade said sternly.

Kathryn grinned a little to herself. "Sorry," she said. "I wasn't planning on breaking down and crying like that. I don't think it'll happen again."

"Hmmm," Barricade rumbled. "You require more recharge." He paused for a moment before lying down and pulling Kathryn onto his chest. "Here," he said. "As I recall, you had no trouble sleeping like this."

Kathryn smiled briefly in spite of herself. "Yeah," she said, putting her ear to the armor. "I can hear your heartbeat…"

"Sparkpulse," Barricade said.

Kathryn shut her eyes. "Yeah, that…" she murmured, and was asleep in under ten seconds.

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Yeah, so I thought that Kathryn was adapting to the whole "I have no home anymore" thing a little too well, so I gave her a crying jag, and I really liked how it turned out- a sweet moment for them! I do hope it turned out OK for y'all, scenes with crying are harder to write than they look!

And yes, I threw in that she has- or rather, had- a cat. I don't know exactly why, it just seemed to fit. But the laptop part- I would be absolutely dead in the water if I lost my laptop. Practically everything I need for college revolves around my laptop. So I threw in that she has a laptop as well, to give it a little more reality for myself.

As always, I hope you enjoyed reading this, please R&R. :)

(1) Lyrics from "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane. It's a great song, and it always helps me to relax, so I put it in. God only knows whether Kathryn is actually a decent singer. ;P

Truth of Barricade: Oh, you are closer than you know! There's a lot in store for poor Cade... X3

'HURRICANE'Hannah: Thanks!

Eerie Iri: Glad you like it. :)

Duvet: Thank you. :)

FutureCSICrystal: Thanks!

actionmoviefan: Heehee, I know! XD

And a general thanks and hugs to everybody as I have over 2000 hits. ::happy dance:: I love you all! X3


	8. Thoughts

Agh! I'm really starting to get bad at updating! I hope you all don't hate me for it... anyways, I hope this chapter is worth the wait. :)

Disclaimer: I own my ideas. Transformers, sadly, is not one of them.

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Barricade did not need any more recharge, so he simply lay still and watched Kathryn recharge, and thought. From what he knew of humanity, she was a fairly attractive member of her species. He wondered why she apparently did not have a male companion- humans were so obsessed with the opposite sex that she surely would have mentioned any mates by now.

A thought struck him. Was it possible that she might consider _him_ to be her mate?

No, that had to be impossible. As much as he might have grown attached to her (and Primus only knew how _that_ had happened), she most likely did not have any romantic feelings for him. After all, he was a twenty-foot-tall alien robot, and she was a tiny organic.

A tiny, delicate, attractive organic who had been inside his systems…

He was a little startled to find himself running a finger over Kathryn's prone form, tracing the curves of her body. Yes, definitely an attractive member of her species.

And how did _he_ feel about _her_?

Well, some things came easily to mind. Respect for her knowledge of things mechanical, gratitude for saving him, some superiority…

But was he really superior? It was always said that to show your true self to others was one of the hardest things for a sentient being to do, yet Kathryn apparently had no problem with showing him every side of her personality. There seemed to be no deception in her.

Barricade, on the other hand, felt like he was hiding his anxiety at being surrounded by those he had once called enemies behind a mask of indifference and fearlessness. He was not letting his true feelings show. If that was so, then Kathryn was far stronger than he was, for all his physical superiority.

He was still thinking in this vein two hours later when Ratchet came out of recharge. He unfolded into his robot mode and came over to check on his patients.

"How is Kathryn doing?" he asked Barricade quietly.

"Much better," Barricade said. He paused. "Thank you for the advice. It worked amazingly well, although I still don't understand why."

Ratchet actually smiled, running a scan on Barricade. "You're welcome. Humans are very sensitive to touch, so it makes sense that it would play an important role in human interaction." Ratchet leaned casually against the table, warming to his subject. "I was still surprised, though, to discover just how much significance is placed on touch. In many instances, it can be used to communicate effectively when words are not deemed appropriate. For instance, by making herself so comfortable on your chassis there, Kathryn has communicated that she trusts you a great deal, even if she has not actually said as much. Most likely it also indicates that she regards you as a close friend, and possibly even that she has romantic feelings for you."

"What? Are you making fun of me?" Barricade said suspiciously. Ratchet appeared to have been reading Barricade's mind for the last few hours.

Ratchet merely raised an optic ridge.

"No," he said calmly. "I am being entirely serious. I may be incorrect, though; human interactions are extremely complex, and there are many possible interpretations for any given action."

With that careful answer, he turned to attend to Bumblebee. Barricade noticed that the yellow mech had his feet back, although they were very sooty and… not exactly foot-shaped. Not wanting to dwell on Bumblebee's mangled feet, Ratchet's impassive back, or Kathryn's face, he turned his head to the side.

Barricade frowned. On the ground beyond the cargo container was… something. It was covered in a blue tarp, but whatever it was, it looked quite big and… Cybertronian-shaped.

And it definitely hadn't been there before.

Barricade stared at it, caught between curiosity and apprehension. He could simply activate his scanners and find out what was under the tarp, but did he really want to know? Bumblebee's feet had been bad, this could be infinitely worse.

_What is wrong with me?_ he thought. _I've surely seen plenty of worse things! I've probably _done_ plenty of worse things! Why am I so afraid of finding out what's under there? Why am I acting like such a coward all of a sudden? I'm supposed to be a warrior!_

"That's Jazz," Ratchet said. Barricade jumped slightly; he'd actually forgotten about Ratchet. "He was killed in the battle." His voice was unreadable. Barricade looked at Ratchet, but the mech had already turned back to Bumblebee.

Curiosity immediately overtook Barricade.

"How?" he said.

Ratchet tensed up, and for a second Barricade cursed himself for his idiocy. _Nice move,_ he thought, _slag off the only person who can fix you._

But Ratchet did not attack. After a few seconds of extremely awkward silence, he said, "Megatron."

That was enough to convince Barricade not to scan what was under the tarp. Some things were better left unseen.

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It was only a quarter of an hour after that when Kathryn woke up in a less than cheerful mood. She mentioned something about 'not a morning person' and asked for her purse, which was on the unoccupied cargo container. She cheered up considerably after she had produced a small hairbrush from her purse and brushed out her long brown hair thoroughly. Apparently it was another instance of touch being calming, Barricade thought. Although why she felt it was so important to straighten long strands of dead proteins, he had no idea.

"That's better," she said, putting the hairbrush away. "Now I'm just hungry."

"Maybe you should go with Ironhide," Bumblebee suggested. "He's going to pick up Sam and Mikaela and come back here. You could probably get something to eat on the way, and I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

"Besides," Ironhide added from his position leaning against the wall, "there's not a whole lot to eat around here." He was attempting to be casual, but there was no doubt that he was guarding Barricade.

"Why are you going to pick up the humans?" Barricade said curiously.

"Because they want to be here," Ironhide said, shrugging his massive shoulders. "And I have the least conspicuous working alt mode."

"That's not saying much," Barricade said, unable to hold back a grin.

Ironhide growled something unintelligible under his breath.

"There's just one problem, though," he said after a moment's thought. "I'm supposed to be bringing Sam's creators, too. I don't think I have enough seats for everyone."

"That's a significant problem," Kathryn said, frowning. "Does anyone else have more seats?"

"I do," Bumblebee said. "But I can't transform right now."

"Hmm," Kathryn said. "Say, Bumblebee, what do you turn into, anyway?"

Bumblebee's cheekplates lifted in an unmistakable grin. "A 2009 Concept Camaro," he said proudly.

Kathryn gaped at him, making tiny noises of amazement.

"Are you serious??" she said finally.

"Yes," Bumblebee said, still grinning like an idiot.

"Wowww…" Kathryn breathed, looking Bumblebee up and down with a new appreciation. Barricade regarded her with some amusement. Obviously a 2009 Concept Camaro was an impressive car. Barricade was willing to bet his spark that it looked a hundred times more impressive than the beat-up pile of scrap Bumblebee had been posing as before. He idly wondered if Kathryn now had a romantic attachment to Bumblebee. _Now that would make an interesting love triangle..._ he hastily deleted the thought from his processor.

"Well," Ironhide said, bringing Kathryn out of her reverie, "we'll just have to leave one or two people behind."

"You could make two trips," Kathryn suggested. "Or have someone else come along."

"I will go with Kathryn," Optimus Prime said, striding into the hangar. Kathryn giggled.

"You do realize, of course," she said, "that people will be staring at you everywhere you go?"

"Well, unless you'd rather squeeze in with four other people," Ironhide said.

"Fine, fine," Kathryn said in mock aggravation. She stepped onto Ratchet's proffered hand as Ironhide and Optimus Prime transformed into their alt modes. Barricade had to admit that Kathryn had a very valid point. He had never seen a more extravagantly painted big rig in all his time on Earth. Kathryn climbed into the cab, and they rolled out. Barricade was a little saddened at her absence. Things could get very boring around here. Not to mention he was a little nervous at being left without any friends.

When did he come to think of anybody as a _friend_, anyway? His life just kept getting weirder and weirder.

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"I should inform you," Optimus said once they were on their way, "that later today we will be meeting with the Secretary of Defense."

Kathryn's eyes got a little wider than Optimus had thought possible.

"Robert Keller?" she said.

"Yes, I believe that's him," Optimus said, with a hint of humor in his voice.

Kathryn exhaled loudly and sank into the leather seat. "Wow," she commented. "Like… wow…"

There was a short moment of silence.

"So," Optimus said as they rolled down the road, "how is Barricade doing?"

Kathryn gave the radio a look. She knew Optimus was referring to the conversation they had had the day before en route to the temporary base. He had made it clear that he was not comfortable with her being so close to Barricade, and she had been somewhat annoyed that he was, in her eyes, prejudging him. In the end, they had agreed that Optimus would try to take Barricade at his word, and Kathryn would tell Optimus if Barricade started exhibiting any behavior that indicated he was deceiving them.

"Do you mean, how is he doing, or how is he acting?" she said.

"Both," Optimus said.

Kathryn considered. "Well, he's definitely changed since Ratchet got his hands on him." She grinned. "He's… almost sweet now. You know, I, uh, kinda had a crying jag last night, and he actually gave me a backrub!"

"Crying jag?" Optimus sounded concerned.

Kathryn shifted in her seat. "Uh, yeah, Barricade woke up at like 5:30 or something and wondered where Sam was, and I said that he went home, and when I said 'home' it reminded me of my apartment… and that it doesn't exist anymore, and I just started crying. I think I freaked him out a little," she said, smiling a little at the thought.

"Why was he up that early?" Optimus said. Kathryn smiled wider at his question.

"That's another thing," she said, sounding excited. "He actually woke up twice. He had these weird dreams, and I think they're memories. But he has a lot of trouble remembering them once he wakes up. They were really odd, too." She trailed off, looking thoughtful.

"Did he tell you about them?" Optimus said.

"Yeah," Kathryn said. "I remember they were both about this battle that he was in. It was really strange, because in the dream his name was different, and he had a brother, too." She frowned, concentrating. "He'd been fighting with somebody… there was something very important about that, but he couldn't remember what. Oh! And his brother had blue optics." She fell silent for a moment, watching the scenery pass by. "Do you think it means Barricade used to be an Autobot?" she said after a while.

"I don't know," Optimus said. "They may be memories, but they may also be just dreams. Barricade has never been an Autobot, as far as I know."

"Yeah, but he had a different name," Kathryn argued. She sighed and rested her head on the cool glass. "He just can't remember what it was."

"Hmmm," Optimus rumbled. "Say, how did you get to be on Barricade's berth? I distinctly remember setting you down next to Bumblebee."

Kathryn grinned. "I used my feminine wiles on Ratchet."

"What?"

Her grin grew wider. "Actually, I pleaded with him to let me get over there. He made me promise not to aggravate Barricade, and also to not complain if he decided I wasn't safe there." She rolled her eyes. "He's like a mother hen!"

"Ratchet is very protective of his patients," Optimus said, sounding amused. "He wouldn't let any harm come to anyone under his care."

"Hn, I figured," Kathryn said. "He's still a mother hen, though."

She got the distinct impression that Optimus was smiling.

"That would be an accurate characterization," he said.

They spent a few minutes in companionable silence before Kathryn remembered something she had wanted to ask him about.

"Uh, hey, Optimus?" she said.

"Yes, Kathryn?"

"You keep referring to the base as a temporary base. Do you have a more permanent one being set up?"

"Yes," Optimus said. "There's a recently decommissioned American military base in Nevada that your government is preparing for our long-term use. We're going to move there as soon as it is ready, which should be within the next few days."

"Oh," Kathryn said. She hesitated before asking the real question. "Um… Optimus?"

"Yes, Kathryn." His voice was so patient and reassuring. She nervously fiddled with the zipper of her purse, working up the courage to ask.

"Am I gonna live with you guys?" she finally blurted out.

There was a short silence, during which Kathryn silently started to panic.

"If it is what you want, then I suppose so," Optimus said. Kathryn sighed with relief. "If you don't want to…"

"But I do want to!" Kathryn said. "And, I mean, I don't really have anywhere else to go. And even if I did, I'd still want to stick around you guys. Normal life would be way too boring after this." She rolled her eyes.

"It's decided then," Optimus said. "It won't be too much trouble to include human-sized quarters in our permanent base."

Kathryn grinned. "It would probably be a welcome break from building Autobot-sized quarters."

Prime rumbled with amusement. "Indeed."

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Erm… yeah, so I really must apologize for the lack of action in this chapter. I needed more characterization of Barricade and what he thinks about Kathryn, and I also had to get in that conversation between Kathryn and Optimus- it ties up some loose ends. It just didn't feel right for them to spend an entire ride in silence or something, and they _had_ to have talked earlier, but I just didn't feel like sticking that conversation in. So I summarized it for you… yes, I am lazy. XP

Also, I must apologize for not writing that part from Optimus's POV. I just can't really write Optimus well. He's just so… Optimus. I admire the people who are willing to get inside his head and write from his POV, because while he's fairly predictable in what he'd say, I find it nearly impossible to figure out exactly what he would be thinking at any given moment. Probably about how much he misses Elita or something. ;P

FutureCSICrystal: Thanks!

Dragonflamecrystal: Don't worry, she's OK now!

Truth of Barricade: O.O' Shhhh! You'll give it all away! ;P

MoonRose91: I try to do it once a day... key word here being 'try'...

Dragon260: Thanks, it was tough to write realistically but I think it came out well!

amber Kat: I know, me too! He's so cute when he wants to be!

Lady GryphonInia: Er... you may want to wipe that up... ;)

'HURRICANE'Hannah: Really?? I didn't know I was that good... :warm fuzzies:

Frog1: Don't worry, you'll find out soon enough!

fennecfox03: I know, aren't they:blush:

Tiger Timberwolf: Hehe, I didn't think of it like that... but yeah! ;D

ForeverMegatron's: X3

And thanks for your reviews of earlier chapters, Crooked! I really like your fics! Come to think of it, another round of general thanks to my reviewers and stuff! When I see how many people have favorited my story it gives me warm fuzzies:)


	9. Aggravation

Hello everybody, so sorry I haven't been updating regularly! In the interest of time, I've decided to stop posting individual responses to reviews- hope you don't mind. And once again, there's not a whole lot of action in this chapter. Don't worry, the next one will have lots of stuff happening at once!

Disclaimer: They belong to Hasbro, I just play make-believe with them and then put them back nicely when I'm done. Except for Kathryn, who belongs to me. And the plot is mine, too.

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Barricade was uncomfortable.

Not physically, certainly. While his leg might not be useable, it was not at all painful. And Ratchet was an amazing medic- he'd never felt better.

No, it was his mind that was unsettled. He couldn't seem to get his mind off the dreams, no matter how hard he tried. The topic seemed to lend itself to circular thinking. For example, Why had his brother had blue optics, and yet not been considered hostile? The only explanation was that both he and Barricade had been an Autobot. But he was quite certain that he had never, ever been an Autobot. Then again, he had also been quite certain that he had never had a brother, and if he had, he wouldn't have had blue optics…

And so on and so on, not to mention his doubt at whether they actually were memories. But what nagged at Barricade the most was that he was dead certain he had seen that exact same shade of blue optics somewhere before. The memory toyed with him, staying just out of reach of his processors.

Finally, Barricade decided to recharge. He was going out of his mind, with nothing to do other than sit around and think himself in circles. And maybe he would remember something more.

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He was fighting Bumblebee. Barricade plowed into the yellow mech, throwing the both of them ten feet across the pavement before Bumblebee slammed into the ground. He threw Barricade off in one smooth motion as he landed. Both of them rolled and lunged at each other, fighting tooth and nail.

Barricade got in a lucky shot at Bumblebee's leg, just hard enough to knock him on his back. Pressing his advantage, Barricade grabbed Bumblebee by his shoulder plates, preparing to slam his head against the ground. Their optics met for a split second.

Those baby blue optics were an eternal source of comfort…

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Barricade shot out of recharge, panting.

It took him a few seconds to realize that both Ratchet and Bumblebee were staring at him.

"Bad dream?" Ratchet inquired mildly. Barricade considered.

"It wasn't really a bad dream," he said finally. "I was fighting Bumblebee…"

"And you don't consider that a bad dream?" Bumblebee said. He sounded like he was trying to decide whether he should be insulted or amused.

"It was the part where I was winning," Barricade said, unconsciously putting a little extra emphasis on the word _winning_. "And then I looked into your optics and woke up."

"Hmmm," Ratchet said thoughtfully.

"I remember that," Bumblebee said. His tone was carefully neutral. "You had knocked me down, and you grabbed my shoulders. And our optics met… and then you practically lay down and let me pound you."

"Yes, I remember that part as well," Barricade said, a little more nastily than he had meant to.

"Why did you stop fighting?" Bumblebee said.

"…I don't know." He had been fighting only for Frenzy's benefit in the first place, but after locking optics with Bumblebee, he had simply been unable to put up any resistance at all. Something in him had prevented it.

Apparently, it was that Bumblebee reminded him of his brother. Barricade was annoyed at that thought. He didn't want to think of Bumblebee as a brother. Bumblebee was… aggravating.

Barricade was happily distracted from his thoughts by the arrival of the humans. Kathryn, Sam, and Mikaela led the way, followed by two apprehensive-looking adults. Barricade guessed they were a mated pair.

"Hey, Bee!" Sam called cheerfully, jogging across the vast concrete floor toward the temporary medbay. He sounded a little too cheerful. Probably trying to reassure his creators, Barricade thought. "How are you?"

"Better," Bumblebee said, sitting up and smiling that weird mouthless smile of his. "Are your parents all right? They seem a little… anxious."

"Uh, yeah," Sam said. Barricade couldn't see him at the moment, but he sounded embarrassed. "They _are_ anxious, I think they're really weirded out by the whole… giant alien robots… thing… y'know. Um, anyway, Bumblebee, these are my parents, Ron and Judy. Mom, Dad, meet Bumblebee."

"Hi!" Bumblebee said, waving cheerfully.

"…Hello," the Ron parent said tentatively. Both parents still looked terrified, staying well back from Bumblebee as though he would suddenly attack. Barricade snorted in amusement as Kathryn poked her head around the edge of Bumblebee's berth.

"Hey, 'Cade!" she said happily. Barricade growled. He hated that nickname.

"Please don't call me that," he growled.

Kathryn looked a little confused, but shrugged. She walked over to Barricade.

"Hey, can I come up?" she said. Barricade noticed that her eyes really were a lovely shade of green.

"Fine," he said, and lowered a hand for her to climb onto.

As he sat up and set Kathryn on the table, Barricade noticed that the Witwicky parents appeared to have gotten over their initial apprehension pretty quickly. In fact, they were apparently all but shouting at Bumblebee.

"…don't know if that truck was telling the truth about a _battle_, but you better have taken good care of my boy!" the Judy femme was saying. Sam threw up his arms in exasperation.

"Mo-om!" he said. "Does it look like I'm injured?! Bee's a great guardian!"

"_Check on the rep, yep, second to none!_" Bumblebee played.

The next few hours were marked by awkwardness. Sam's parents were apprehensive about meeting the Autobots- a fear that was not eased by Ironhide whipping out his cannons yet _again._ Sam and Mikaela were making themselves comfortable around the Autobots, which also did not ease Ron and Judy's anxiety, and the Autobots were trying to make 'small talk,' with somewhat disastrous results.

Barricade had his own problem- namely, Kathryn. Her presence took the awkwardness to a whole new level. He had no experience with how humans interacted with each other after a 'crying jag;' apparently, she didn't have much either. She took several moments to decide whether she should sit on Barricade's leg (eventually he had just wordlessly picked her up and set her there, just to be done with it). Then she started absentmindedly running a finger along the edge of an armor plate, which was… distracting…

And on top of that, he had to try to figure out how to explain that he had been one of the "bad guys" in a way that prevented Ron and Judy from fearing for their lives in his presence.

All in all, Barricade was glad when they left. He didn't do "social" very well.

He noticed Kathryn start to look a little mournful as they exited the hangar. A warning sounded in his processor; she was probably thinking about home again. Hoping to avoid another crying incident, he started gently rubbing her back. To his relief, Kathryn cheered up almost instantly. It was amazing; he'd never seen anyone's mood change so quickly.

Bumblebee stared at Kathryn in awe. "That was amazing!" he said. "Like instantaneous happy! How did you do that?"

Kathryn let out a happy sigh. "It feels really good!" she said, leaning slightly against Barricade's finger.

"Apparently," Barricade said, "it's one of the best ways to calm a human."

Bumblebee gave him a look. "And how do you know that?"

Kathryn blushed. "…Erm," she said. Ratchet stepped in.

"Kathryn started crying last night and Barricade asked me how to calm her," he said. Barricade was grateful for his discretion. Bumblebee pondered this bit of news.

"Maybe I should try that on Sam," he said.

For some reason, this comment caused Kathryn to burst into giggles. Bumblebee looked utterly baffled.

"What?" he said.

Kathryn attempted to tell them what was so funny, but every time she tried to explain, it would go something like this:

"Uhhmmm… well… it's, like… ummm… hahahahahahaaaaa!!"

_Humans are strange creatures_, thought Barricade. However, he did have to admit that Kathryn's laughter was a pleasant sound indeed.

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Fifteen minutes later, SecDef Keller arrived. Kathryn watched him enter the hangar with interest from her perch in Barricade's lap. She nudged him.

"Be on your best behavior," she said quietly. Barricade rumbled.

"Aren't I always?" he muttered. Kathryn grinned and listened to Optimus and Keller's conversation. It was almost comical to see a six-foot-tall human carry on a conversation with a robot that was pushing thirty feet.

"Are you sure he's safe?" Keller was saying. "What if he-"

"Barricade will not attack anyone," Optimus interrupted, in a tone that brooked no disagreement. "If he does, I can assure you I will deactivate him myself."

"No you wouldn't," Barricade called. "Ratchet would get to me first. He already said he'd reformat me into a toaster." He folded his arms triumphantly, smirking. Kathryn giggled. Bumblebee smiled. Keller stared at them.

"This is the girl you mentioned?" he said.

"Hey!" Kathryn frowned. "I'm twenty-two!"

"Yes," Optimus said. "This is Kathryn Andromeda."

"Optimus tells me you want to stay with the Autobots," Keller said. He was obviously making an effort to look at her instead of Barricade, and failing.

"Yes," Kathryn and Barricade said at the same time. She turned to look at him, both grinning, then at Keller, whose eyebrows were raised.

"Well," he said. "It won't be difficult to include living facilities for humans in the new base. In fact, it's almost complete. You'll be able to move there tomorrow. We've included all the supplies you requested."

"Thank you," Optimus said. "Your government has been very generous to us."

"God bless America," Kathryn offered. Keller actually smiled.

Kathryn tuned out the rest of the conversation between Keller and the Autobots. It was mostly technical discussions and politics and other subjects that she couldn't be bothered to care about. She had a new home.

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"Why do you always want to recharge on my chassis?" Barricade said. He had been using the human Internet to do research on human relationships, and as far as he could tell, Kathryn's willingness to sleep next to him indicated she harbored a great deal of affection for him. This disturbed him. He was getting too emotional for his own liking, and he couldn't even begin to describe the strange, conflicting feelings he had for Kathryn.

Kathryn frowned. "Because it's warm, and comfortable, and I like to listen to your sparkpulse." Barricade nearly laughed; he never thought he'd see the day when he would be described as 'warm and comfortable.' "Do you not want me there?"

"If you want, you can recharge on my chassis," Bumblebee said, coming up to Barricade's berth. He had been deemed well enough to walk around by Ratchet, and he was taking full advantage of the opportunity to test out his repairs. They were, predictably, flawless.

Barricade felt a surge of jealousy towards Bee. It was not just that the yellow mech could walk, while he remained frustratingly immobile. It was also… Kathryn. Surely she wouldn't prefer Bumblebee over him?

"She should probably recharge close to somebody's spark," Ratchet said. "The ambient temperature at night is too low for a human to tolerate safely."

Why was he thinking like this? What was it to him where Kathryn decided to recharge?

"I don't mind," he said. "I was just curious." He stretched himself out on his berth, gently picking up Kathryn and setting her on his chassis. She smiled at him, making herself comfortable. Trying to ignore the emotions she was eliciting, Barricade dropped into recharge.

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Well, there it this. This chapter gave me a lot of trouble, it took me three days to write. I'm still not totally satisfied with how it turned out, but all the plot developments I need are in place. And there's some cute fluff at the end! X3 Please R&R!


	10. Moving Day

Merry Christmas everyone! As my special present to you, I am posting a double chapter! Enjoy:)

Hooray! More memories!! They all come together in this chapter… :D

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Kathryn woke up early the next morning. Apparently Barricade hadn't had any more dreams. She was slightly disappointed; they had been very interesting to hear, even if they interrupted her sleep.

"Good morning," Bumblebee said quietly as Kathryn sat up. She smiled at him.

"Morning," she said through a yawn. "Damn, I'm hungry."

"Well," Bumblebee said. "Ratchet said I should be able to transform just fine now. Do you want me to take you to get something to eat?"

Sweeeet! Kathryn thought. She grinned hugely. "I'd love to! If you're allowed to," she added.

"I just told Optimus," Bumblebee said. "It's fine." He held out a hand for her to climb onto, and lowered her to the ground.

She watched in awe as he shifted into his alt mode. He was beautiful. Bright yellow with racing stripes… "Wow," she sighed happily, running one hand down the length of his hood.

"You like it?" Bumblebee said.

"You look amazing," Kathryn said, unable to take her eyes off him. She wondered how he had gotten a hold of the specifications for the car. Bumblebee opened the passenger door as the engine purred to life.

"Hop in," he said.

Kathryn pouted slightly. "I want to drive," she said. She loved driving, the feeling of freedom it gave her. She also loved to speed. She tried to suppress the urge most of the time. This was different, though. She wanted to see how fast Bumblebee was. He could probably outrun anything else on the road…

Bumblebee sighed. "Fine, he said, opening the driver's side door. Kathryn squealed with glee and skipped around to it. "You had better be a good driver, though. And I'm taking over if I think you're a bad one."

Kathryn smirked as she slid behind the wheel and buckled her seat belt. "Don't worry," she said. "I do this all the time."

It was a miracle that Barricade wasn't woken up by the roar and screeching of tires as Kathryn pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor and they peeled out.

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Fifteen minutes later, Kathryn finally slowed down as they approached the outskirts of Mission City. She was panting slightly, and her adrenaline levels were very high. Bumblebee thought that was terribly unfair, since she hadn't been the one pushing her limits.

"Damn," she said. Bumblebee wondered if her face would freeze that way. She hadn't stopped grinning since he'd said she could drive. "You are… amazing. That was soooo much fun! Do you do this with Sam?"

"Actually, I haven't really had the chance," Bumblebee said with a hint of regret. "I'm sure he'd enjoy it, though."

"Oh, definitely," Kathryn said. "Boys love speed."

"You are a boy then?" Bumblebee teased. Kathryn snorted.

"I wonder how fast Barricade is…" she mused as they drove.

"Fast enough," Bumblebee said, a little more snappishly than he had meant to. Kathryn gave the radio a look.

"You don't like him," she said. It was not a question.

"He attacked me!" Bumblebee said. "Of course I don't like him. But he seems sincere, so I'm trying to get along."

"Why did he attack you?" Kathryn said. Bumblebee sighed.

"Well, perhaps 'attack' isn't an entirely accurate term. He was after Sam," he explained. "Barricade was trying to find out the location of something that would allow him to find the Allspark. As Sam's guardian, I had to protect him, so I went after Barricade. We had an all-out brawl." Kathryn's eyebrows shot up, but she kept her eyes on the road. Bumblebee continued thoughtfully. "Barricade has quite the reputation for killing, you know. I thought I was going to die, but I beat him. I think I scared him somehow."

"Really?" Kathryn said.

"Yes. When you were off yesterday morning, Barricade had a dream about the fight. He said he looked into my optics and then woke up."

"Huh," Kathryn said. She looked thoughtful. "Another memory… I bet it's somehow connected to the ones he had before."

"If there is a connection," Bumblebee said, "I don't see it." Kathryn shrugged.

"It may be only tangential," she said. Then she brightened. "Hey, we're here."

"A McDonald's?" Bumblebee said. "The food from this establishment is of questionable nutritional content."

Kathryn snorted.

"Hey, it won't kill me, and I like the taste," she said.

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Barricade spent a thankfully dreamless night. The next morning, Kathryn was gone from his chassis. Bumblebee was similarly missing. When questioned, Ratchet told him that the two of them had gone out to get food for Kathryn. Barricade sighed inwardly. The almost constant requirements that humans had could really get annoying at times.

But why was he even bothering to get annoyed? Why did he care? Barricade tried not to think about it.

The only other thing he had to think about, though, was what was going to happen today. Kathryn had dubbed it "Moving Day," which was an appropriate title. The Autobots, Barricade, and Kathryn were going to their permanent base in Nevada. Barricade was going to be hauled in Prime's trailer.

Barricade was apprehensive about it. He had, for lack of a better term, trust issues. He had, in a quiet moment, admitted to Prime that he was apprehensive about being transported for such a long time without being able to see where he was going and unable to defend himself if anything should happen. He remembered Prime's response.

-----------------------------------------

"I will not allow you to come to harm, Barricade, if there is something I can do to prevent it," the Autobot leader said quietly. Barricade shifted slightly.

"I know," he said. "I just don't like it."

"If there's anything I can do to help…" Prime said. Barricade shook his head.

"I'll be all right. I probably shouldn't have mentioned it." Prime nodded. Barricade could tell he didn't believe it.

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The more he thought about it, the more Barricade was convinced he shouldn't have mentioned it. Prime probably thought he was paranoid now.

But he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that he felt thinking about the trip. He might feel better if Kathryn were with him, but the inside of a trailer was really no place for a human, and he didn't want to go through the awkwardness of asking her to do something that was totally unnecessary and would probably be interpreted as a sign that he had some kind of deep affection for her.

Primus. This was a vicious cycle. Barricade sighed, out loud this time, and flexed his left foot absentmindedly. He could feel the jury-rigged connecting pins shift slightly, and winced.

He was distracted by Bumblebee walking into the hangar. Prime detached himself with the conversation that he had been having with Ratchet to greet him and Kathryn, who was tagging along at his heels and holding a bag with the word 'McDonald's' on it.

"Bumblebee," Prime said. "You look… dusty." Kathryn giggled.

"I'm afraid that's my fault," she said. "I've never gotten the opportunity to spin donuts before…" she trailed off with a dreamy look on her face. Bumblebee grinned guiltily.

"Well," Prime said. "Now that we're all here, we can prepare to move out." Barricade suppressed the urge to cringe.

The preparations took less time than Barricade had been unconsciously hoping. They consisted mostly of hitching Prime up to the trailer, getting Barricade inside, stacking the storage containers against one wall, and deciding who Kathryn should ride with (she chose Bumblebee).

Once they were under way, Barricade wondered what he should do with himself. There was no internet connection here in the middle of nowhere, and he did not want to be left alone with his thoughts.

Recharge it was, then.

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"I need you to get to the Autobot medics," Blackbird said. "Can you do that?" His brother nodded, and began crawling along the ground to avoid getting hit. Blackbird tried to follow, but discovered to his horror that he could not move his legs. That shot he had taken must have hit something important; the pain was terrible. Feeling helpless, Blackbird lay on the ground and twitched.

His brother spared a glance back, and came back towards him.

"NO!" Blackbird shouted. "Go find a medic! That's an order!" Completely ignoring the fact that Blackbird did not have any kind of seniority over him, his brother nodded reluctantly, then disappeared into the melee.

Blackbird attempted to drag himself along the ground using only his arms. It was very slow going, and the pain in his back was a big distraction. He had only gone a few yards when something grabbed him.

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"Where did Ratchet go?" Kathryn asked.

"I don't know," Bumblebee said. "He was talking to Optimus earlier. I think he has special orders or something."

"Hn." Kathryn looked in the rearview at the huge form of Optimus Prime, drumming her fingers idly on the steering wheel. Bumblebee had insisted on driving this time, and Kathryn hadn't objected. After all, she'd had her fun.

"Why don't you like Barricade?" she said after a while. Bumblebee was surprised at the sudden change of subject.

"He was a Decepticon," he said. "Like I said before, he attacked me."

"But there has to be some other reason why you don't like him," Kathryn said. "I mean, to you he was just another Decepticon. He's been okay to you since defecting, right? Why don't you like him now?"

Bumblebee paused. This femme was smart. She'd picked up on something. And she was a lot closer to the truth than she knew.

When Barricade had grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him in the optics, he had reminded Bumblebee of his brother… and that was a painful memory. He had resented Barricade for resembling his brother, which had caused him to fight a little more brutally than was perhaps necessary.

Maybe it was time he told someone. Primus knew, he'd been carrying this particular burden for millenia.

"He reminded me of my brother," he said finally, in a quiet voice. "And I resent him for it." Once it was out, Bumblebee wondered if he should have admitted that. Kathryn would probably think it was stupid.

A look of mixed understanding and confusion crossed Kathryn's face.

"It's love-hate," she said. Bumblebee googled 'love-hate' and agreed. "Where's your brother now?"

A long silence followed. Kathryn started to fidget uncomfortably in her seat, sensing that she had hit a sensitive subject.

"He's dead," Bumblebee said. "The first battle we were ever in… he took on Starscream all by himself. It didn't go well, but he managed to get away. Later, he was trying to save me, and Starscream shot him. He told me to get to safety… and I did… but he couldn't… I never saw him again…"

He was only vaguely aware of the tears making their way down Kathryn's face.

"Blackbird…" he sighed, lost in his memories.

He almost didn't hear Optimus shouting that a Decepticon was incoming.

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BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!!! Cliffie!!! XD Well, now you know the significance of the dreams Barricade was having!


	11. The Attack

Barricade shot out of recharge. Another memory… he went over it again in his mind, trying to copy it to his short-term memory before it disappeared entirely. He had ordered his brother, who was indubitably an Autobot, to get to safety, and then something had grabbed him. Something… _big_.

Barricade shuddered. These memories were frighteningly vivid. They were also confusing. It made his processor hurt trying to figure them out.

He sighed and lay down again. As he slipped into recharge, he just missed Prime shouting that a Decepticon had been detected.

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Something huge latched onto Blackbird and hauled him up. Painfully.

It was the same Decepticon he had attacked earlier.

Uh oh.

"Hello," the Decepticon hissed. He was so big, he was holding Blackbird with one hand that wrapped all the way around his body. (Blackbird was by no means a big mech, and just barely out of his youngling stage, but still. The Decepticon was enormous.)

Blackbird yelped; the Decepticon was squeezing him so tightly he thought his armor would buckle.

"Blackbird, isn't it? Didn't you want to finish our little fight?" the silver monstrosity purred, smirking. "Or was your baby brother more important?"

Blackbird didn't know what to say to that, so he settled for "Let me go!"

Even to him it sounded pathetic.

The Decepticon smirked, digging his claws into the cracks of Blackbird's armor. Blackbird howled with pain.

"I think I'll go finish off your precious little Pit-spawn of a sibling first," the Decepticon said, grinning evilly. "Then I'll come back for you." With a cackle, he threw Blackbird to the ground, where he knew no more.

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Barricade woke to chaos. The trailer had been ripped open, and mangled debris was everywhere. How in the Pit had he missed that?

And how in the Pit had he not noticed Starscream first?

The huge silver Decepticon reached for him.

"I told you I'd come back," he said.

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Optimus had just barely detected the Decepticon signature when Starscream came within visual range. By the time he had finished saying that a Decepticon was incoming, Starscream had opened fire.

On the trailer...?

What in the Pit is he doing? Optimus wondered, taking a few nanoseconds off from panicking. This was a very bad situation to fight in. They were unable to fight back in vehicle mode, and Optimus and Bumblebee were entirely unable to transform. Also, Ratchet was elsewhere, running a special errand. That left only Ironhide to fight him.

Starscream transformed in midair, landing on top of the trailer and ripping it open with a shriek of protesting metal, he dropped inside.

"What the Pit is he doing?!" Ironhide shouted.

"I don't know!" Optimus said, fearing for Barricade's life.

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Barricade had expected to feel more fear at seeing Starscream. After all, this was the same mech that had beaten him savagely only three days previously.

And, apparently, he'd done the same thing thousands of years ago. The memories were rushing back now. Barricade felt giddy with information overload… no… not _Barricade_…

All that would have to wait, though, because Starscream had lunged forward and grabbed him by the arm.

"Filthy traitor!" he screeched. "I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He shook Barricade like a rag doll. Barricade was fighting back, but once again, Starscream had the advantage. He pulled his prey up, so they were staring at each other, optic to optic.

"No matter," the silver mech snarled. "I will end this now. Say goodbye, Barricade."

Starscream was understandably surprised when the white optics suddenly glowed blue.

"MY NAME IS BLACKBIRD!" the owner of the blue optics bellowed. Taking advantage of Starscream's confusion, he pulled back a leg and kicked him in the chest as hard as he could. Starscream was thrown back, taking the entire rear half of the mangled trailer with him.

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Ironhide had been waiting for his chance to attack Starscream without risk of seriously harming Barricade in the process, and was therefore delighted to see him come flying out of the trailer. Barricade obviously had quite a bit of fight in him. His respect for the mech increased a couple of notches as he leaped for the Decepticon.

Disappointingly, though, Starscream did not seem interested in hanging around to get his aft handed to him. He transformed and took off like a bat out of hell.

"COWARD!!!" Ironhide bellowed after him.

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The mech formerly known as Barricade experienced a brief moment of elation at seeing Starscream run away. Then the pain set in. He moaned as blackness threatened to overcome him. The pain in his leg was terrible. He just _had_ to use the one that was injured, didn't he? He shuttered his optics. He was vaguely aware that a mech was approaching, but couldn't be bothered to care.

"Barricade?" someone said. No, that wasn't right. He should probably explain…

"No…" he said. "Not…"

But that was all he could manage before the blackness took him.

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He was floating, free of gravity and pain, above a vast an echoing ocean of shifting sights and sounds. His memories, they had come back.

He plunged in.

A happy time, when he was still at home. He was wrestling playfully with his younger brother. They were both rolling around on the floor, giggling.

The scene shifted. He remembered one night, talking to his little brother about the war. They were lying side by side on the roof of their home. He fidgeted, still slightly uncomfortable in his new battle armor.

"It's like this," he'd said. "The Allspark is an object of tremendous power, right?" His brother nodded, yellow paint job glistening in the moonlight. "Well, the Decepticons want to use the power of the Allspark for evil. The Autobots are trying to stop them. That's why I'm fighting. To protect the Allspark."

His brother considered that. "Then I'm fighting too," he announced.

Another change. He was coming online in an unfamiliar medbay. There were voices coming from outside the room.

"I don't trust it, he could still remember this way!"

"Shut your trap, Screamer!" That voice made him shudder. "The medic couldn't take the chip out, so this is the next best solution. And it will work just as well. Besides, why are you complaining? I'm going to reward you for… _recruiting_ him. He has the potential to be a very talented fighter. And you are going to train him."

"You call that a reward?"

"Oh, shut up!"

"Fine… What are you going to call him?"

"Barricade?"

Wait, that wasn't part of the memory. Neither was that pain in his leg, come to think of it…

"Barricade?" The voice was familiar. But he was using the wrong name.

"Barricade. Wake up," the voice said.

"No."

"What?" the voice said.

"My name isn't Barricade," he explained.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't make me kick your aft too," he mumbled.

"Well, if you're not Barricade, then who are you?" the voice said.

He onlined his optics. He was lying on some kind of cold, hard surface. Ratchet, the owner of the voice, was leaning over him, an expression of mingled concern and confusion on his faceplates. It was quickly replaced with shock.

"My name is Blackbird," he said.

"Primus!" Ratchet was saying. "Optimus, get over here!"

"What?" Blackbird said. "Is there something wrong with me?"

Ratchet's optics swept his face, stopping at his optics. Blackbird watched him, bemused.

"Well, you really fragged your leg," Ratchet said at last. "Do you remember the fight with Starscream?"

Blackbird grinned. "Which one?" he said.

"The most recent one," Ratchet said.

Optimus Prime's face appeared in his vision.

"He says his name is Blackbird," Ratchet informed him.

The Autobot leader stared at him. Blackbird met his gaze, bemused.

"Primus," he whispered.

"Why is everybody staring at my optics?" Blackbird said, beginning to get annoyed.

"They're blue," Optimus said, in a tone that suggested this was a momentous statement.

"Yes," Blackbird said patiently.

"How did you get the activation codes?" Ratchet said.

Blackbird snorted. "All Autobots receive them after training," he said.

Ratchet looked totally nonplussed.

Optimus, on the other hand, appeared to be having a revelation.

"Are you sure your name is Blackbird?" he said intently.

"Of course I'm sure," Blackbird said. "Optimus, I remember everything! The battle on Cybertron, getting captured by Starscream, being renamed Barricade… and I remember my brother," he finished quietly.

He didn't understand why Optimus chose that moment to faint.

"Is he all right?" Blackbird said, propping himself up on his elbows to look at the prone form on the ground. Ratchet peered at Optimus, then shrugged.

"He's fine. Now, about you. Your leg is in very bad shape. I made a side trip to San Francisco to buy you a new driveshaft." (1) He held up a long cylindrical object. "It's already been tempered, so it will hold up almost as well as the original. I just have to cut it in half. I'll also have to fix your foot. There are broken pieces of connecting pin lodged in it, so don't move it, or you'll only make it worse." Blackbird nodded.

"Can I see Kathryn?" he said. Ratchet gave him a calculating look.

"All right," he said at last. "I'll go get her." He left the medbay. This one was definitely a step up from the last one, Blackbird thought, looking around. There were actual operating tables in here, for a start. And it was a separate room.

After a minute, Ratchet returned, carrying Kathryn in one hand. Blackbird brightened upon seeing her.

"…may not be mentally stable," he was saying. Kathryn frowned.

"Hey!" she said. "Why is Optimus on the floor?!"

"Oh… he passed out. Don't worry, he's all right. I should probably put him on a table or something, though…" He set Kathryn on Blackbird's operating table. "Don't hurt her," he said. Blackbird rolled his optics.

"I know, or you'll turn me into a toaster," he said. He shared a grin with Kathryn.

"How are you?" she said, coming up to him and sitting down on his good leg. Blackbird smiled.

"Well, my leg is fragged," he said. "But forget about that! Kathryn, you remember my dreams, right?" She nodded. "Well, you were right, they were memories! And now I can remember... everything!"

"You have a brother and everything?" Kathryn said excitedly. Blackbird grinned hugely.

"Oh, you'll never guess who he is!" he said. "And my name really is different. It's Blackbird." Kathryn gave him a pop-eyed look, but he was too excited to care. "I suppose I should thank Screamer, really, for helping me remember everything. That's why I was remembering that battle in the first place- because he was attacking me. He brought me to the Decepticons, and they cut my memory chips and gave me a whole set of fake memories and said my name was Barricade." He laughed. "No wonder I always hated Starscream! That must be why he was so furious that I'd defected- he's always had it in for me…" He finally noticed Kathryn staring at him. "What?"

She shook herself. "Well… uh, it's a lot to take in," she said. "It's like you were a whole different person or something."

"Well, I was," Blackbird said. "For one thing, I was an Autobot. And also, I wasn't a sparkless killer."

"Hmm, well, that's good to know," Kathryn offered. Blackbird nodded.

Ratchet came over to them, holding a half of a driveshaft.

"I'm ready to begin," he said. "Kathryn, you should probably not be on the operating table for the procedure." Kathryn nodded, climbing onto Ratchet's hand so he could put her on an adjacent table. She smiled at him one last time as Ratchet started his shutdown sequence.

For some reason, it made him happy to think that she was the last thing he saw.

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Kathryn was watching Ratchet work with interest. Sometime earlier, Optimus had jerked awake, muttered an apology about fainting, and fled the med bay. Now it was just her, Ratchet, and an offline Barricade- Blackbird, whatever his name was. The whole story was just so weird, she had a little trouble believing it. She didn't quite know how to take it.

Then again, she'd never really known how to take Barricade/Blackbird. He had started out as gruff, but careful not to offend- probably because she was fixing him. He'd gradually gotten more used to her presence, and tolerated her company, but she really didn't know what he thought of her. For all she knew he hated her, but thought the Autobots would not accept him if he rejected a human. Then again, he had been amazingly sweet that night… she blushed a little remembering how she had cried like a baby- while hugging him, no less. He probably thought she was incapable of controlling her emotions now or something, that he had to give her a backrub at the slightest sign of trouble. She suppressed a grin at the thought that all she had to do for a backrub was act sad.

A soft curse distracted her from her thoughts. Ratchet was doing something to Barricade/Blackbird's foot, and it was apparently frustrating him.

"What's wrong?" she said, moving to get a better look. Ratchet turned to look at her.

"I'm having some trouble reaching parts of his foot," he explained. "I can't get those broken parts out… say, would you mind helping me?"

Kathryn shrugged. "I don't have much else to do. What do you want me to do?"

Ratchet held out his hand for her to step onto. "I need you to get the pieces that I can't reach," he said. "Your hands should be small enough."

Kathryn knelt next to the foot and studied it for a moment. It was certainly large. It was also filled with mechanisms that she was unfamiliar with.

"You may have to talk me through this," she said.

"No problem," Ratchet said.

Within ten minutes, Kathryn had all the errant pieces sitting in a neat pile on the operating table.

"You're a natural," Ratchet told her, setting the pieces aside. "In fact… maybe you would be interested in learning more?"

"More?" Kathryn said. "About Cybertronian physiology?"

"Yes," Ratchet said. "You could be a great help to me."

Kathryn grinned. "Yeah," she said, "and the next time I fix someone, I'll actually know what I'm doing."

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Bumblebee was examining the still-unfinished rec room with mild approval when Optimus rushed in.

"We have to talk," was all he said as he practically dragged Bumblebee outside.

"What I'm going to tell you is going to shock you," he warned Bumblebee once they were seated on a rock.

"What is it?" Bumblebee said.

"Your brother may be alive."

Bumblebee fell off the rock.

"Oh Primus," he mumbled. "Optimus, how do you know? Where is he?"

"He's in the med bay," Optimus said. Bumblebee made a noise somewhere between a squeak and a shriek.

"WHAT?!!"

"He came online with blue optics, Bumblebee," Optimus said, extending a hand to help Bumblebee up. "He said his name was Blackbird—and that he remembers the battle… and you."

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You guys are lucky- this was actually two separate chapters, with an evil cliffie to end both! (Bwahahahahahaaaaa!) But, bearing in mind earlier comments that chapters were a bit short, I decided to take pity and make it one long chapter. :)

Also, congratulations to everyone who reviewed and guessed that Barricade and Bumblebee were brothers- especially Truth of Barricade, who commented on the possibility first. :D

(1)There is actually a place that sells driveshafts in San Francisco. It was mentioned in a Mythbusters episode, so I thought I'd throw it in. ;P


	12. Confirmation

Hello everybody! There's only one more chapter after this, but it probably won't be up for at least a few days, because I'm going on a trip to see some extended family. :D I'll update it when I can, but don't expect too much from me... so yeah, enjoy. :) This chapter has more hugging in it. :happy dance: Please R&R!

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"I just can't believe it," Bumblebee said. He knew he was repeating himself, but he couldn't help it. His brother must have died in that battle. Anyone who went up against Starscream was killed. And he had definitely witnessed Blackbird in the grip of the merciless Decepticon.

And yet, it made sense, in a twisted way. It would certainly explain why Barricade reminded Bumblebee of his brother.

"There's a way to find out, you know," Optimus said.

"What?"

"Ask him a question only Blackbird would know the answer to."

_Oh. Duh. That makes sense… why didn't I think of that?_

"I'll do that," was all he said. Then he thought of something. "Optimus…"

"Yes, Bumblebee."

"What if it turns out he isn't Blackbird?"

Optimus looked at him for a long moment before saying, "I don't know."

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Kathryn was in dire need of a grease rag.

It was worth it, though. The repairs to Barricade's leg were finally complete.

"We're ready to bring him back online," Ratchet announced. "You may want to stand back."

Kathryn obediently climbed onto his palm as he reactivated the mech. Kathryn was delighted to see his blue optics come to life. They were the most amazing shade of cerulean… Kathryn blushed a little and made herself stop that particular line of thinking.

"Hi there," she said, waving at him. She examined her hand again. "Man, I really need to wash my hands."

"It's nice to see you, too," Barricade said, smiling at her. Kathryn felt her heart skip a beat.

"How do you feel?" Ratchet said. Barricade flexed his foot experimentally.

"Perfect," he said.

Optimus Prime came into the medbay at that moment. Bumblebee was following him.

"I hear you're feeling better," Optimus said neutrally, studying Barricade's leg.

"Yessir," Barricade said with uncharacteristic cheer. Bumblebee was staring at him from behind Optimus' back.

"Good," Optimus said. "Listen, do you mind if Bumblebee talks to you alone?" Barricade looked at Bumblebee, and then shrugged.

"All right," he said. Kathryn hopped obediently onto Ratchet's hand, and they left the med bay.

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Bumblebee had continued to stare into those frighteningly blue optics. The gaze was returned with equal intensity.

"Bumblebee…"

The voice was choked with emotion. Bumblebee felt emotions of his own flooding his processor. He found he had no response. He sat on the berth next to Barricade's.

"Listen," he said. "As far as I know, you're just a Decepticon. My brother died on that battlefield!" For reasons he could not explain, he was suddenly angry, leaping off the berth and grabbing Barricade by the shoulders. "You'd better show me some proof that you are who you say you are, or I'll…" he trailed off at that point, staring into those blue optics. It really was an empty threat at that point.

There was a long and pregnant pause before Barricade spoke.

"It's like this," he said calmly. "The Allspark is an object of tremendous power, right?" Transfixed, Bumblebee nodded dumbly. "Well, the Decepticons want to use the power of the Allspark for evil. The Autobots are trying to stop them."

Bumblebee was vaguely aware that he was trembling, and his hold on Blackbird was all but nonexistent.

"That's why I'm fighting," he continued. "To protect the Allspark."

"Then I'm fighting too," Bumblebee finished in a daze. "Blackbird…"

And then they were hugging each other and laughing and crying and reminiscing all at the same time.

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Ratchet was a little displeased to see Barricade- no, Blackbird- out of his medbay so soon and with zero notice. Kathryn could tell. But there was technically nothing wrong with him, and Bumblebee was supporting some of his weight, so he really had no reason to complain as they sat down on the enormous sofa in the rec room.

Once they all got over the initial shock of seeing Bumblebee and Bar- _Blackbird_ with their arms slung around each other's shoulders, the Autobots greeted them politely.

"Everybody," Bumblebee announced happily, "I want you to meet my brother, Blackbird." Kathryn grinned hugely at him from her perch on the arm of the other large sofa opposite him. She was sure that if Cybertronians could blush, he would be six shades of scarlet.

"Are you really Blackbird?" Ironhide growled suspiciously. Bumblebee frowned.

"If he weren't, he'd be scrap metal by now," he said.

"Hmmm…" Ironhide said. "Well then, what happened in your first combat training class?"

Blackbird visibly flinched. "Oh no," he muttered. "Please don't make me tell that story…"

Ironhide gave him a look. Kathryn glanced at both of them. This was sure to be good.

"Fine," Blackbird sighed. "We were in the classroom, and Ironhide was blathering on-"

"I was not blathering!" roared Ironhide.

"Hey, I'm the one telling this story! Anyway, I wasn't too impressed, and I told Bumblebee I could take him. And Ironhide heard me."

Kathryn giggled. "I see where this is going…"

"And he decided to take me up on the offer."

"And?" Ironhide pressed, smirking.

"And he knocked me on my aft within three seconds," Blackbird mumbled.

"Aaahh, the memories," Ironhide sighed.

"Oh, shut up."

"If it makes you feel any better, he did almost exactly the same thing to me," Optimus said.

After that, the dam had broken. The Autobots laughed and chatted and reminisced with Blackbird. Kathryn was glad to see him enjoying himself. She caught herself just looking at him, noticing how his normally brooding aspect brightened when he smiled. He was like a completely different person- laughing and joking and caring and intelligent and handsome-

She realized he was gazing back at her and she looked away, blushing furiously. _Oh God, how long was I staring at him?? I hope nobody else noticed…_

As the night wore on, conversation wound down until they were all sitting in a companionable silence. Kathryn had ended up on Blackbird's shoulder (to the secret delight of both, though they were careful not to show it) after mentioning the cold, and had almost fallen asleep leaning against his helm (also to the secret delight of both).

"Well, I think I'm going to go recharge," Ironhide said, getting up. "It's late."

"True," Optimus said. He stood, Bumblebee and Ratchet following his lead.

Blackbird made to get up, but a gesture from Ratchet stopped him.

"Oh no you don't. You're spending the night in med bay until I decide that leg is fully healed. That's an order, Blackbird," he added. He nodded at Kathryn, now slightly more awake and holding the chevron that adorned Blackbird's head. "We don't have a human-sized bed yet. Do you mind if she recharges on your chassis for another night?"

"Not at all," Blackbird said, a little too quickly. "That is, is she doesn't mind."

_Yess!!_ "I'm cool with it," Kathryn said.

As she settled herself atop his warm chassis, she had just enough energy to wonder how he felt about her for about the millionth time before she fell asleep.

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Erm, yeah… I'm aware that Bumblebee was probably really really OOC in this chapter, especially when he confronts Blackbird. To which I can only say, how would you feel if some random dude showed up claiming to be a brother that you thought had died a long time ago? And he was your mortal enemy less than a week ago? Pretty weirded out, I'd bet. So, I made him act weird. It's cathartic… or something. XP

Yeah, and just to clear up any possible confusion, use of the name "Barricade" is no more. It was a name that Megatron made up for him, so he wants nothing to do with it. He's now Blackbird all the way. Just so ya know. ;)


	13. The End

Yes, it's the last chapter! Much thanks to everybody who stuck with me thus far, I love you all. :hugs: Especially everyone who enjoyed my strange OOC bits of humor... glad to know there are people out there who are just as weird as me! o.O

And I am sooo sorry I couldn't update for so- freakin'- long! I had a great vacation with my extended family, but I think my grandparents have the only household in the country without a computer. O.O

Also, a public service message for those of you sixteen and over: as Judy Witwicky says, "Please, for the love of God, drive safely!" On the drive home there was a wrong-way driver on the freeway... I cannot tell you how much that scared me. You do not want to be the person who shows up on the news as the idiot who killed himself/herself through an act of stupendous stupidity, especially something like going the wrong way on a freeway... a _divided_ freeway, no less. It takes a special kind of cluelessness (and drunkness, I suspect) to accomplish something like that. Remember: stupid hurts.

Well, now that I'm done with my little rant, enjoy. :)

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It was a perfect day. The sun was setting behind the hills outside Tranquility, transforming the skies into a marvel of gold and purple. Even though Kathryn had witnessed thousands of sunsets before, the beauty of each one always made her feel content somewhere deep inside. Each sunset was unique… and flawless.

Just like Blackbird, whom Ratchet had deemed fully healed and fit to come with them on this little outing. The Autobots, Sam, Mikaela, and Kathryn were watching the sunset on a bluff with a spectacular view of the western sky, admiring the planetary phenomenon that so many of the locals took for granted. They were all in vehicle mode except for Blackbird and Optimus Prime.

Of course, there was a practical purpose to their sightseeing, too. Optimus had deemed this wilderness a good place to record and transmit his message, calling any remaining Autobots to join them, to come and be together again. Kathryn listened to Optimus' deep baritone from her perch in Blackbird's lap.

"I am Optimus Prime, and I send this message to any surviving Autobots taking refuge among the stars. We are here; we are waiting."

Blackbird nodded silently; he had been raptly listening to the message. Apparently he approved.

"I wonder how the Autobots that get here are going to react to you," Kathryn mused.

"I've been giving that some thought myself," Optimus rumbled, striding over to sit beside them. "I think they will approve." He smiled encouragingly at Blackbird, who looked a little more optimistic.

Blackbird's attention, however, was soon diverted.

"Kathryn?" he said, so quietly only she could hear him.

"Hm?"

"What are Sam and Mikaela doing?"

Kathryn looked over and felt her face get hot almost instantaneously. Wow. They certainly weren't being shy about their feelings for each other. This was going to take some explaining…

"…Um…" she said, wondering how to put it. "They're kissing." Of course, they were doing a bit more than that; they couldn't seem to keep their hands off each other. But she wasn't prepared to tell Blackbird about that part just yet. "It's, um, a way that humans express affection for each other."

"Hmmm," Blackbird said, still observing them with fascination. "And Bumblebee doesn't mind?"

"Um, apparently not," Kathryn said. "I would think he does mind it a little, given the… somewhat intimate nature of what they're doing…" She trailed off.

"Hmmm," Blackbird said again. "Perhaps I should try it someday."

Kathryn felt her heart jump. _Do it_, she thought. _Even though he'll probably think you're insane…_

She turned and lifted her gaze to meet his.

"How about right now?"

Blackbird stared at her for a few seconds, and then a smile spread across his faceplates.

"Why not?"

--Fin--

Ta daaa! It's finished! Yes, there will be a sequel. However, I'm still thinking of ideas for it. If anybody has suggestions for what they want to happen, I'd love to hear them! That includes random humor. If you appreciated me making Optimus faint and Ironhide being called a giant testosterone molecule, I'm sure you can suggest strange things of your own that you'd like to see happen. (Which reminds me- thanks r o X i a n for your suggestion! I'm going to write a oneshot for that! Also, thanks ArmoredSoul for reviewing every single chapter! I'm glad I was able to make you faint two chapters in a row! XD)


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